A school created by Disney

Jun 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Randy Sutherland

State-of-the-art Celebration School in Florida takes a high-tech approach to security. Visitors to Celebration, Fla., may think they have stepped onto the set of "The Truman Show." Built by Disney Corp., the town of Celebration - with its neatly manicured lawns and freshly painted picket fences - is separated from Orlando-based Disney World by a green fence. People stroll by houses with large porches set close to the street, pausing to talk with neighbors. Rocking chairs line a community lake where children play in a fountain or line up at an old-fashioned ice creamery and fudge shop to buy treats. Although the town resembles the home of Wally and "the Beave," its picket fences conceal a high-tech culture more akin to Luke Skywalker. A state-of-the-art, fiber-optic network soon will link every home and apartment, while at the wellness center and hospital, doctors plan to monitor patients' vital signs through a local computer network. Residents like to call Celebration a "perfect town," but even perfection needs security. That need has led to use of access control at Celebration School, a K-12 county-run institution. The school is a partnership in conjunction with Disney, the Osceloa School District and Stetson University. It uses top-of-the-line computers and an innovative curriculum developed by experts from Harvard, Auburn, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Minnesota, and a consortium of Florida universities.

School officials envisioned a security system that was no less forward-looking. All 930 students move freely around the campus through locked doors using a new system of Java-enabled Schlage Primus industrial door locks, modified by Lares Technology Inc., San Antonio, Texas, to work with the Java computer application. Each student is issued a Java Ring, built by Dallas Semiconductor, Dallas. This highly durable ring contains a processor called an iButton that interacts with door panels connected to the Lares Technology network-based Universal System Controller (USC-624) software application. "We first saw the equipment a year ago at the Java One Conference in San Francisco," remarks Scott Muri, instructional technology specialist. "I and the students who came with me were intrigued by the iButton."In addition to the "gee whiz" aspects, Muri says they needed to address a number of security issues at the school relating to student access. "Because the school is open to the street and to the community, we have to keep the doors locked. That means when a student is moving between classes, he or she can't gain easy access through a door without disturbing a class," he explains. "Obviously, you can't give students keys to the building.

"The answer was provided by Lares Technology in the form of itsiNET anywhere access system application. Local door control in the system is accomplished with the USC-624 software. Students simply touch their Java Rings, which resemble class rings, to a panel beside the door. The iButton transmits authorization through the Ethernet network and opens the door. Because the USC-624 plugs directly into the school's computer network, control, data management and auditing are handled on a computer workstation."The iButton gives students access to the building during regular school hours from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Teachers have 24-hour access," Mori says. "If students lose their rings, their accounts can automatically be canceled as soon as they are reported to the system network.

"Making the Schlage e.Primus lock function as a network lock is part of the experimentation Lares Technology is providing at Celebration School. Lares Technology integrates and manages the Schlage e.Primus locks and will soon offer general customers a Commercial Grade 1 D-Series cylindrical and L-Series mortise mechanical lock in a network version as a normal item, according to company officials.The system was installed by Orlando-based dealer Armstrong Locksmith and Security.

Celebration conducted the initial trial for the system when they equipped 100 middle school students with the iButton in a Java Ring, said Mori. "We wanted to see if the rings were of benefit to students. Now, it's a wearable accessory for the kids. We found that for some kids the rings work very well, but some wanted a key fob or a watch. In the beginning everyone was given a ring, but now they have the option of purchasing a watch or a key fob."While security issues brought Lares Technology to Celebration, the Java Ring and iButton offer the promise of far more, according to David R. Kuykendall, Lares company president. "We're a relatively new company and we have technology here that hasn't reached the market yet," he says. He notes that his company was put in touch with Celebration by Dallas Semiconductor. "It was a 'done deal' almost from the start" because the equipment and software matched the needs of Celebration, he says.

Trying out the Java Ring concept with children and getting their opinions and reactions has been an enlightening experience, he says. "It's amazing to see how well they adapt to using the technology." The iNETanywhere USC - 624 gives the capacity to write data into the system. It can do more than just open doors; it can allow for cash transactions and more, according to Kuykendall."Perhaps a student has an allergy to mushrooms or tomatoes," he says. "That data can be written into the system to alert the cafeteria that he shouldn't purchase the lasagna.

"The system has other applications as well. At a private swimming pool, for example, users found that the water-proof Java Ring worked better than smart cards, which couldn't take exposure to water. "We're finding institutions that have a significant understanding of their own problems," the Lares president observes.

Kuykendall asserts that the access system for Celebration is only the beginning. The technology has applications that extend beyond access control

into e-commerce and secure financial transactions.Celebration is in many respects a testing laboratory for these Java software applications. "The school administrators are open to trying technology that may not be perfect for them right from the start. We come in and say 'this is the way we think it should be done."To show off just how far out in front the school is, Celebration hosted a conference in March for educators around the world. The school demonstrated extensive use of technology that enhances the learning environment for its students.

The Celebration success story is attracting other schools and universities seeking answers for access problems and other security needs. A ring that could open strong doors and do other magical feats was once the stuff of Green Lantern comics. Today, it is reality in a place just over the hill from another symbol of fantasy - Disney.

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© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

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