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Microsoft VP sends challenge to MUSD students in exclusive video
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Anthony Salcito, vice president of Microsoft Corporation’s Worldwide Public Sector Education, has issued a challenge to Manteca Unified School District students.

The videotaped message was made by Salcito exclusively to the district and makes that clear when he starts talking by first offering his greetings to Manteca Unified School District.

The video will be shown to all students in the district at the beginning of classes on Friday. In his very personal and inspirational message, Salcito challenges the students – as well as everyone in the district including teachers – to challenge themselves “to expect more for the future,” and to help not just Manteca Unified but the world in solving “some of the toughest problems” it’s going to face in the future.

In his role as vice president of Microsoft, Salcito shares that he has had the privilege of visiting schools all over the world and meeting young students with plenty of potential.

“I’ve seen amazing students like you who are on their path to the future,” he tells Manteca Unified students. “In my personal path, I actually started with a passion for technology.”

Superintendent Jason Messer commented that as vice president of Microsoft, Salcito is a very busy person but nevertheless took the time to address the students of Manteca Unified via a videotaped message. It is part of the district’s promotional project, “Embrace the Race” and “Proud to be MUSD.”

Microsoft also is a partner in Manteca Unified’s $30 million Going Digital project which is designed to bring students in the district to 21st-century learning to better prepare them to the technical challenges of the future. The other major partners are Cisco Systems and Intel.

Going Digital, which will provide a computer to each of the district’s 23,000-plus students, is expected to be fully running in January 2015.

Messer said that as partners of Going Digital, Microsoft, Panasonic  and Intel have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into the district’s project, extending to MUSD assistance that “may not be extended to any other district.”

With the cutting-edge technology being put in place as Going Digital is deployed, Manteca Unified has become a leader recognized by other school districts not only in California but throughout the United States and even throughout the world. The district’s Going Digital project was cited by River Islands at Lathrop project manager Susan Dell’Osso as one of the reasons the development – which will include 11,000 homes at build-out – wants to become part of Manteca Unified. The master-planned community project of Cambay Group is currently under the jurisdictions of Banta Elementary School District (for the primary grades) and Tracy Unified School District for the secondary level. River Islands Technology Academy, a public charter school, opened about two years ago at the Stewart Tract project site before a single house was even built, with a long waiting list of students.