BeachNet
student run since 1994
the story
In the spring of 1994 Bob Wabbrock wanted to bring the internet into Redondo Beach schools. He knew he couldn't handle it alone, so he recruited computer loving students to help.
Beachnet became the South Bay's first complete Internet access system for a school district. The large room that was once the student bosy office now houses a network control center with servers, computers running various flavors of Linux, Mac OS X and Windows, and other necessary pieces of equipment.
Bob Wabbrock didn't get student help just to have "yes-men", the students ran everything, and continued to do so for the reaminger of the program. Beachnet serviced all the schools in the Redondo Beach Unified School District (RBUSD), the RBUSD main office, and the Hermosa Beach City School District which includes Hermosa Valley and Hermosa View.
In 1999 Bob Wabbrock decided to leave Beachnet, giving the reins to Tim Baumgartner. Bob Wabbrock said in an interview that his "role at Beachnet was to get it going, but [Tim Baumgartner] will take it to a higher level".
On August 1, 2001 Tim Baumgartner resigned from Beachnet Manager and Yolanda Ramirez stepped up to replace him and was head until November of 2005.
In November of 2005 the RBUSD 'pulled the plug' on BeachNet, barring members from the NCC for several months. Through December and January no word was given as to when, or even if, BeachNet would return, out of despair the current members dispersed for the most part. A February 5th email from the RUHS Email Newsletter included a tidbit of information regarding BeachNet's return, 'Students interested in bringing Beachnet back to life, meet in the NCC room (main hall), after school this week'. The word was spread among the members of BeachNet and that Monday a few of the previous members met at the NCC afterschool to find Colonel Falasco waiting. The district appointed ROTC Colonel Falasco to supervise BeachNet after relocating Yolando Ramirez to the district office.
For the following two years attempts were made at reviving the program. First, an outside consultant Chris was hired to help setup a new infrastructure for the program and get BeachNet back on its feet. After three months, Chris stopped coming and returning attempts to contact him. Next, two former BeachNet Managers, who jointly run a local internet company, were brought in to replace Chris. The attempts made by the two former and three current managers to revive the dying program were valiant, but after it became apparent that the District IT department wished to control all operations that BeachNet had formerly taken on, hope for reviving the program was lost.
In the summer of 2007 a final attempt was made to recover the program. In an email to all formerly involved people, one of the last managers sent out a project proposal for a brand new BeachNet. The proposal was intended to be revised and perfected so as to be presented to the District and High School Administration for a reborn program. The District CTO, copied in the email, immediately setup a meeting between the last of the managers and the High School Principal to discuss the future of BeachNet. In the meeting, it was made clear that BeachNet would not be revived in any form. Later attempts to purchase the former BeachNet domain (bnet.org), in an attempt to revive the program outside of the control of the District and high school, were refused by the District.
in the news
01/26/2006
BeachNet Advister Make Pitch - Easy Reader
01/12/2006
Board Seeks to Men 'Headless' BeachNet - Easy Reader
12/08/2005
RUHS Student-Run ISP To Be Revamped - Easy Reader
12/01/2005
Student-Run ISP Faces Uncertain Future - Easy Reader
01/27/2005
Student-Run ISP Lacks Resources - Easy Reader