DATE: Thursday, October 2, 1997             TAG: 9710020540

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY DENISE WATSON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   68 lines

BOOKER T. STUDENTS PLUG INTO POLITICAL ISSUES AN INTERNET CHAT BRIDGES A GAP BETWEEN POLITICAL LEADERS AND TEEN-AGERS.

About 10 Booker T. Washington High School students crowded around a library computer, scanning the hot questions popping up in an Internet chat room Wednesday. But the talk wasn't of dating, acne creams or clothes.

Booker T. Washington students, along with students at 22 schools across the country, were bantering the merits of affirmative action, freedom of the press and the right to privacy with U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle and Republican Sen. Tim Hutchinson.

Even though Booker T. students had lengthy waits to get just one of their questions answered, junior Monteria Grant liked interacting with the political movers.

``I think it's all right,'' Monteria said. ``The good thing about it is that they are taking the time out to talk to us.''

The Internet chat, ``CyberCelebration of Democracy,'' was sponsored by Kids Voting USA to bridge political leaders with a teen-age population that often bristles at the notion it isn't concerned about politics.

But the one-hour session gave Booker T. the chance to flex its technological muscle and overcome its reputation as a school more concerned about its band than academics.

During the past year, Booker T. has chased grants and local donations to build a schoolhouse network and become the district's leading high school with computing and networking technologies. The school is primed to become a magnet high school in the next few years and offer advanced courses in science, math and technology.

``People think we're the poor project kids. We have very good students here,'' government teacher Danny Simmons said. ``We're showing it through technology.''

The local chapter of Kids Voting approached the school district about participating in the national forum, and Booker T. was picked because of its Internet capabilities. During the discussion Wednesday, students from the various schools fed questions to a moderator at the University of Arizona who then fed questions to the senators in Washington.

Students, like Monteria, wanted to hear more details on the future of affirmative action policies, but had to wait as Ohio asked Daschle questions like: ``How long do you think Newt Gingrich will last as Speaker of the House?''

Teachers cruising by stopped and took seats as they read the questions and answers projected onto a large screen.

``I can tell you the answer to that,'' one teacher said. ``Less than a year.''

``He's not going to answer that one,'' another staffer said.

``He can't answer that,'' another said. ``It wouldn't be, you know, politically correct.''

Five minutes later, Dashcle zipped off: ``I don't know how long the speaker will remain in his office but he has indicated that he will only serve for a couple of additional terms.''

Ann Mead, the school's technology facilitator, said Wednesday's online discussion is only the tip of what Booker T. can and will do, to give students an advantage.

``We're going to keep Booker T. on the cutting edge,'' Mead said. ``We're going to provide so many opportunities for our students.'' MEMO: PILOT ONLINE: Links to the Kids Voting USA and Virginia sites are

on the News page at www.pilotonline.com ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MARK MITCHELL/The Virginian-Pilot

Booker T. students Nathaniel Hinton, Monteria Grant and Bianca

Mitchell take part in an online political discussion.

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