News release

HP Partners with Baltimore School District to Provide Technology and Support to Local Middle School as Part of $2 Million Grant

Dunbar Middle becomes fifth school to receive technology designed to bolster academic success of East Baltimore students

By providing PCs, printers and other scholastic technology to Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School, HP today continued its support of the Baltimore Digital Village @ School program (BDV@School), which pledges more than $2 million in technology hardware and software for more than 2,200 students in the East Baltimore area. Dunbar Middle School teachers will receive notebook PCs, technology training and teaching curriculum, in addition to classroom PCs, digital cameras, printers and scanners.

Chief Executive Officer of the Baltimore City Public School System Dr. Bonnie Copeland will launch the technology initiative at a kick-off event at the school on Feb. 5, 3 p.m. EST. HP e-inclusion executive JoAnn Strathmeyer, teachers and community leaders will also attend the event.

Partnering with the Baltimore City Public School System, HP's BDV@School program is helping to bolster the academic success of the community's young people by further integrating computer equipment and training into the school curriculum. It is part of a larger, three-year public-private partnership with HP and local community organizations called the Baltimore Digital Village (BDV), which is designed to generate sustainable economic and social development for the community and its residents that will endure long after HP's initial commitment has ended.

The BDV represents a steppingstone toward assisting East Baltimore's citizens in reenergizing their neighborhoods, supporting their schools and fostering sustained economic opportunities that will improve inner-city quality of life.

HP has adopted five schools in need of support: Dunbar Middle School, Tench Tilghmann Elementary, Alternative Learning Center, Lombard Middle School and City Springs Elementary. The company is actively aiding them in meeting state standards for technology and it has provided students and teachers with technology training, desktop PCs (one for every five students), cameras, projectors, printers and scanners.

"At HP, we believe in the incredible potential in every community waiting to be tapped - and by providing access to better education through technology, we believe we can be an important part of a community that is actively encouraging its children to reach their personal best," said Bess Stephens, vice president, Philanthropy and Education, HP. "We have become dedicated to the parents, teachers and students of the Baltimore Digital Village, and we are proud to play a part in their success at school and in the community."

About the Baltimore Digital Village

The Baltimore Digital Village programs are part of a bold initiative that links the nonprofit sector with businesses in partnerships to enhance the community. The BDV has demonstrated extraordinary progress and is actively engaged in creating a digital community in which technology helps to build a network of participants and providers who share in supporting learning for youths and adults, strengthen and connect community organizations and businesses, and enhance the delivery of community services.

The BDV has three major areas of focus:

• BDV@Community - Creating a community portal that offers useful information on the concerns of everyday life was an early priority for the BDV. Filling an acute technology void, the BDV developed five community technology centers offering access to the Internet, computer skills workshops and job training. There are phased plans rolling out now that will eventually place 400 PCs and printers in homes throughout the community, rendering the portal to the world even more accessible.
  
  
• BDV@School - Partnering with the Baltimore City Public School System, the BDV is helping to bolster the academic success of the community's young people by integrating computer equipment and training into the school curriculum. The BDV has adopted five schools, is actively aiding them in meeting state standards for technology, and has provided teachers in selected schools with technology training and notebook PCs.
  
  
• BDV@Work - Establishing collaborations between employers and job training organizations is providing the people of East Baltimore with training that enhances employment prospects. Supporting the local workforce and businesses in this way renders the community more self-sustaining. Through the efforts of the BDV, people can link to employers and training tracks via the Web as well as accessing a community help desk. Having this access connects them to a broader base of opportunity and community support. BDV is also involved in developing and growing 50 small businesses in the community by providing training, consulting and equipment.

More information can be found at http://www.hp.com/e-inclusion/en/index.html.

HP is recognized as a philanthropic leader among global corporations. Last year, the company contributed more than $62 million in resources worldwide to advance the ability of students, teachers, community residents and nonprofits to solve some of their most fundamental challenges.

About HP

HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing. For the fiscal year ending on Oct. 31, 2003, HP revenue totaled $73.1 billion. More information about HP is available at http://www.hp.com.