SIGOURNEY — Since it doesn’t look like technology is going away, the Sigourney school district has decided to embrace it.

Sigourney Superintendent Todd Abrahamson said his school board made the decision to purchase a laptop computer for every student in grades 9-12, about 230 computers in all.

“To me, it’s more than just a computer,” he said Thursday, listing off some of the uses and advantages: Entire text books can be loaded onto the computer, and when students find something interesting, they can follow up by using Web links directing them to more in-depth information. And kids are learning a skill they are going to need out in the work world.

Shannon Webb, the district curriculum director, said she was getting help from about 25 students who would help train other kids, answer their questions and help get the laptops distributed on Thursday.

Those first few students already received their computers toward the end of last week — and they’d been practicing.

“I did my first homework assignment [on it] Friday,” said Brianna Winegarden, a senior. “I like it a ton!”

A few students said they don’t type fast enough to use it for some applications, but one, Alex Shadley, said he’s trying anyway.

“I use it to take notes,” said the freshman student, who currently types “about 18 words a minute. I’ve used it to take notes for every class.”

The district decided on laptops from Apple because the company was willing to do more than sell them equipment.

“They don’t only sell you the ‘widget,’” echoed Kirk Magill, the district information technology coordinator, “they designed it, they provided the professional development, an Apple project manager (who was at the school Thursday) and a 24-7 [toll-free] help line.”

Abrahamson said the it was the professional development courses for teachers that “came with” the Apple laptops which sold him on the format.

But if there’s anything the teachers missed, they may be able to turn to a student for help. When asked whose family already owned a computer — in a very non-scientific Courier survey — three out of four students raised their hands, at least among the students who’d be acting as mentors.

Thursday night, they were helping prepare the high school gym to handle the 200 kids and parents attending the Apple Laptop Rollout. Webb had them in the gym earlier on Thursday to go over last-minute questions and take a group photo before kids, parents and elected officials began arriving.

“Your job tonight is to come in and help people,” she told them. “Our goal: We want this to run smoothly.

Courier staff writer Mark Newman can be reached at 683-5358 or via e-mail at mgnewman@mchsi.com.