San Francisco and New York High School Students Put to the Ultimate Internet Test in 3Com's "Triple Crown Challenge"; Online Contest Fosters Cross-Country Classroom Collaboration

Business Wire, May 16, 1996

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 16, 1996--3Com Corporation, sponsor of San Francisco's 3Com Park, will tomorrow host a collaborative Internet competition known as the 3Com "Triple Crown Challenge."

High school students from San Francisco and New York will collaborate cross-country over the Internet in hopes of winning the Triple Crown.

In the Triple Crown Challenge, designed to encourage online learning, students use the World Wide Web to collaboratively answer a series of questions. Students log-on to the 3Com Park Home Page, where they find educational questions on geography, science, art, technology and baseball history. Answers to all of the questions can be found somewhere on the Web; it is the students' job to work together over the Internet to quickly find the information.

Schools participating in this round of the Triple Crown Challenge are New York's Murry Bergtraum High School, Northern Valley Regional High School, Old Tappan, NJ, and Galileo High School and Thurgood Marshall High School, both of San Francisco. The first team to successfully answer the questions wins the Triple Crown Challenge. Each winning class receives baseball caps, tickets to a baseball game in their home city, and a $1,000 equipment grant for 3Com networking products.

"3Com's Triple Crown Challenge gives students the opportunity to work with their cross-country peers in a fun, truly interactive educational experience," said Janice Roberts, vice president of marketing at 3Com. "At the same time, students learn how to research information using the latest networking technology. 3Com is delighted to be able to provide this opportunity for students on both coasts."

How To Register To Play

Schools are chosen by their district office, and are put in contact with a collaborating cross-country school prior to the competition. Schools may also register independently by contacting 3Com at Webmaster@3Mail.3Com.com. The 3Com Webmaster then officially enters the school in the Triple Crown Challenge. (For more information, visit the 3Com Triple Crown Challenge Web site at http://www.3com.com/3compark/news/tcrown.html.)

Partnering schools may communicate with one another as often as desired, but only via the Internet. The winner is the first team to submit all of the correct answers to the 3Com Webmaster.

3Com Corporation has helped more than 28 million people gain access to critical information through high-speed networks. Designed to serve large enterprises, small offices and homes, 3Com products provide a scaleable architecture to meet the connectivity needs of today's users. With research and development on three continents, 3Com is one of the data networking industry's largest and fastest growing companies. 3Com's innovative manufacturing, marketing, sales and support simplify communication, optimize network reliability and protect customer investments. For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at http://www.3Com.com. -0-

Note to Editors: 3Com is a registered trademark and 3Com Park is a trademark of 3Com Corporation. All other names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

CONTACT: 3Com Corporate Communications

David J. Abramson, 408/764-6621

David_Abramson@3Mail.3Com.com

Elizabeth Cardinale, 408/764-5303

Elizabeth_Cardinale@3Mail.3Com.com