Other donators include EOU, Eastern Oregon Fast Freight, Telfax and Blue Mountain Computers. Sean Spear, the teacher in charge of all this disciplined effort, spent a good part of his summer developing and setting up the WalNet program. StRUT is a state wide program where high school students evaluate, repair, refurbish and distribute donated computer systems. Students learn computer repair, business management, and computer networking skills. Sean has set up this class using a business approach, with students assigned various industry roles.
Managers oversee their area and work with the management team.
Each student has a responsibility to see that the work is done and the entire team is involved in the process. He sees his role as more of a facilitator with the students teaching themselves and each other. Many students commented that they really knew very little about computers before they took this class but now feel quite comfortable taking them apart and putting them back together. The students say they are more motivated do this work because they are responsible for their own time. The class functions as a business and students see the connection between what they are doing now and their life after graduation.