Frederick Douglass High School in Baltimore Gets New Computer Learning Center, Funded...

Frederick Douglass High School in Baltimore Gets New Computer Learning Center,
Funded With $25,000 From Verizon

Verizon Foundation Also Awards $75,000 to Maryland Public Television to Train
Maryland Teachers Statewide on Verizon's Thinkfinity.org Free Online Resources

BALTIMORE, March 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Gov. Martin O'Malley, State Superintendent
of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick, Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon and Baltimore City
Public Schools chief. Andres A. Alonso joined Verizon officials Monday (March
30) at Frederick Douglass High School to celebrate the official opening of the
school's new state-of-the-art computer learning center. The center was made
possible by a $25,000 donation from Verizon.

The new facility is equipped with 30 new laptops, a wireless router for
Internet connectivity, and a Promethean interactive whiteboard.

The Verizon Foundation also announced a $75,000 grant to Maryland Public
Television to raise awareness and train teachers throughout the state to use
thousands of free educational resources available on Verizon's Thinkfinity.org
Web site. Thinkfinity.org resources will be integrated with Maryland Public
Television's education Web site, Thinkport.org.

In a hands-on demonstration, Frederick Douglass High School teachers showed
the governor and other school officials how Thinkfinity.org resources can be
used to help improve student achievement. The computer learning center will
be one of several locations throughout the state where teachers can receive
training to use Thinkfinity.org.

"Working together as one Maryland, we can arm students and teachers with the
tools they need to compete internationally in the emerging knowledge-based
economy," the governor said. "As we continue to make vital investments in the
skills and talents of our people and in America's No. 1 public school system,
we will continue to leverage valuable partnerships like this one with Verizon
to keep Maryland's students among the best in the world."

Thinkfinity.org is the Verizon Foundation's free, comprehensive Web site that
contains thousands of educational resources including K-12 lesson plans,
online educational activities, videos and other materials to enhance teacher
effectiveness and improve student achievement.

Thinkfinity.org offers elementary through high school teachers resources
across eight academic disciplines - from science to English to mathematics -
to improve student achievement. Thinkfinity.org is designed to help teachers
gain access to online resources quickly.

"The exciting thing about the Verizon grant is the teacher learning," said
Alonso. "Teachers need to know how to create classroom activities that use
the lesson plans, interactive learning games and home study materials from the
Thinkfinity Web site. Training will help teachers integrate these learning
resources so they can bring a new and exciting digital dimension into the
learning environment - one they can adapt to different learning styles."

In addition to providing standards-based resources from the nation's leading
educational and literacy organizations, Thinkfinity.org also offers a
comprehensive professional development program that allows teachers to sign up
for online or face-to-face training to learn how to make the most of
Thinkfinity.org tools.

"In order to reach and teach today's youth and properly prepare them for the
21st century workplace, technology must be part of the classroom learning
environment," said Robert J. Shuman, president and chief executive officer of
Maryland Public Television. "We thank Verizon for the opportunity to partner
and integrate our education initiatives - Thinkport.org with Thinkfinity.org -
and provide the resources necessary to help train our teachers to effectively
use these important high-quality tools."

William R. Roberts, Verizon's regional president in Maryland and Washington,
D.C., said, "Verizon has a long-standing tradition of working to improve the
communities where we live and work by supporting organizations that strive to
make a difference in the lives of individuals.

"Through our partnerships with Baltimore City Public Schools, Frederick
Douglass High School and Maryland Public Television, we hope to open many
doors of opportunity for those who want to learn and teach," Roberts added.
"Whether it's an English teacher looking for resources to spark a love of
reading in a student, or a parent seeking a convenient and user-friendly
educational activity to stimulate the mind of a young child, Thinkfinity.org
will help them quickly and easily find the information needed to improve
student achievement."

Content for Thinkfinity.org is provided through a partnership between the
Verizon Foundation and 11 of the nation's leading organizations in the fields
of education and literacy: the American Association for the Advancement of
Science; International Reading Association; The John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts; National Center for Family Literacy; National Council on
Economic Education; National Endowment for the Humanities; National Council of
Teachers of English; National Council of Teachers of Mathematics; National
Geographic Society; ProLiteracy Worldwide; and the Smithsonian National Museum
of American History.

About Baltimore City Public Schools:

Baltimore City Public Schools is one of the most historic public school
districts in the United States. The school system is home to the oldest all
girls public high school in the country and to the third oldest high school
overall. It serves the youth of the city of Baltimore. In 1997, the
Baltimore City Public School System became separate from the government when
partial control was ceded to the state in exchange for increased funding.
Now, the mayor and the governor jointly appoint the school board that oversees
the system. The school board appointed CEO Dr. Andres Alonso in the summer of
2007 to run the school system. He officially began work on July 1, 2007. For
more information, visit www.baltimorecityschools.org.

About Maryland Public Television:

Maryland Public Television (MPT) is a not-for-profit, state-licensed public
television station, which serves the citizens and communities of Maryland, and
beyond through a variety of broadcast and non-broadcast activities to fulfill
MPT's mission to educate, enlighten and entertain. MPT's long-standing
commitment to education provides the K-12 education and child care communities
with extensive on-air programs, online content, and professional development
training. Thinkport.org is an education Web site developed by MPT and the
Johns Hopkins Center for Technology in Education that provides teachers,
students and families with rich multimedia content, online professional
development and resources to extend learning into the home. To learn more
visit www.mpt.org

About the Verizon Foundation:

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications,
supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education through its free
educational Web site, Thinkfinity.org, and fosters awareness and prevention of
domestic violence. In 2008, the Verizon Foundation awarded more than $68
million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad. It also
matched the charitable donations of Verizon employees and retirees, resulting
in an additional $26 million in combined contributions to nonprofits. Through
Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation's largest employee volunteer programs,
Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered more than 3 million hours of
community service since 2000. For more information on the foundation, visit
www.verizonfoundation.org.

About Verizon:

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a leader
in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication
innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.
Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving
more than 80 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations
include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business
solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings
customers the benefits of converged communications, information and
entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network. A
Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of nearly 224,000 and last
year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $97 billion. For
more information, visit www.verizon.com.

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and
biographies, media contacts, high-quality video and images, and other
information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at
www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News
Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news
releases.

SOURCE Verizon

Sandra Arnette, +1-410-393-7109, sandra.u.arnette@verizon.com