A ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, March 25, at 7:00 p.m. will mark the opening of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School’s Cyber Café, a new learning environment made possible through school and community collaboration.

Located just outside the school cafeteria, the Cyber Café is envisioned as a facility that can support greater levels of student achievement. Although the majority of B-CC students have access to computers in their homes, a significant number of students within the school cannot easily access learning resources beyond the school day. The café provides an opportunity for all B-CC students to access technology in a casual, appealing, and safe environment.

The Cyber Café is open prior to school, during lunch, and after school for all students and also is available for community programs during the evening. The café boasts 16 Dell Pentium IV computers, an HP Laser Jet printer, and a scanner. Also included is a hot beverage vending machine where students can grab a cup of coffee, cappuccino, tea or hot chocolate.

Three years before returning to the newly renovated B-CC building, principal Katy Harvey created a school-based technology task force. The broad-based committee of administrators, faculty members, interested parents, and community members developed a comprehensive technology plan for B-CC. One of the projects to emerge was a Cyber Café, modeled after similar facilities on college campuses and in major cities across the country.

Funding to construct and equip the café came from a grant from the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Educational Foundation. Under the direction of Board President Matt Gandal, the foundation secured donations from many sources in the B-CC community, including a notable commitment of $25,000 from the Town of Chevy Chase.

The school received a separate grant from MCPS to staff the Cyber Café and is planning to use computer-savvy students to provide technical support to Cyber Café users.