MCI Systemhouse Sister Company Helps Appleby College Students Go On-Line

SHL Systemhouse To Supply Hardware, Software,
Communications Technologies And Services To Unique Education
Project

ATLANTA, October 14, 1998 -

MCI Systemhouse's Canadian sister company, SHL Systemhouse,
today announced that it has been awarded a contract by Appleby
College to develop, integrate, deliver and maintain a Web-based
multimedia system believed to be the most encompassing use of
Internet technologies in a Canadian school.

The $3 million (Canadian) project will see every student of the
Oakville, Ontario-based private school equipped with an IBM notebook
PC to access the school intranet, receive multi-media classroom
content and school announcements, research projects via the Web,
submit assignments and communicate with faculty.

"We're delighted to be involved in this project,"
said Scott Garvey, regional vice president for SHL Systemhouse, MCI
WorldCom's (NASDAQ:WCOM) global information technology services
company. "It involves the opportunity to apply virtually all our
different disciplines to deliver a unique, leading-edge application
of immense educational value to students. We're implementing a
3Com communications platform in a Microsoft NT environment and
delivering Internet and intranet access along T1 data lines.
We'll be acquiring and deploying the hardware and software as
well as supporting it with a full-time network specialist on campus.
It's truly an end-to-end effort that will reap benefits for
Appleby's students for years to come."

"There's no question that the administration, faculty and
parents of Appleby are determined to be out front in the use of
technology for educational purposes," commented Steve Poplar,
director, systems development, Appleby College. "While our
computer labs were useful, we concluded that universal access was
important in establishing a level playing field for all our students,
to let them become independent of class or library hours and to give
them daily exposure to the tools and techniques which are now
commonplace outside most schools."

Last October, Appleby teachers were given laptops to get a head
start building curriculum components on-line. For the 1998-99
academic year, students in grades 9 to 11 are equipped with the
laptops. In September 1999, the program will be available for all
students, from grades seven to the OAC level. Appleby is using a
curriculum "gateway" obtained through an agreement with
Acadia University.

In addition to the notebook PCs, each student will be issued an
e-mail address and seven-day, 24-hour access to the Web. Appleby
maintains rich extracurricular programs that see students traveling
to sports events across the country, field trips to Europe and aid
projects in central America. In all cases, students can stay in touch
with each other, the school, their classrooms and their
assignments.

For students living in residence, many of whom are from out of the
country, the system supplies another connection to their homes and
families. In the classroom, notebooks will be connected to the
teacher's electronic whiteboard allowing students to capture
notes and key points as they are written. Another key benefit of the
system is the flexibility and currency of the curriculum content.

"If a major political story breaks in the Far East, everyone
can follow the events and the analysis as they happen," notes
Poplar. "It's as real-time as it gets. What's more, we
can add new content en masse during the school year. We also think
that continual use of advanced technology is valuable not only as a
tool for communicating, but to familiarize our students with the
pathways and sources of limitless amounts of information."

Appleby students are already becoming familiar with the new
multimedia system. Laptops were distributed to 355 students in grades
nine to 11 in September and used in classrooms immediately. Students
can also log on to the network from their residence rooms or the
newly built Student Technology Center.

Appleby College is a co-educational school for 570 day and
residential students in grades seven to OAC level. Located in
Oakville, Ontario since its founding in 1911, Appleby offers a
challenging academic curriculum and extensive extracurricular
program.

MCI Systemhouse, The Network Enterprise Company, is MCI
WorldCom's global information technology services company. MCI
Systemhouse is the industry's only single-source provider of
convergence products and services that leverage the combined
telecommunications expertise of MCI MCI WorldCom and the computer
expertise of MCI Systemhouse to enable businesses' total
networking, communications and consulting needs. The company has 120
offices and approximately 9,400 professionals worldwide. With a
comprehensive suite of network enabled IT solutions and services for
the new millennium, MCI Systemhouse serves major corporate, mid-sized
and public sector clients throughout North and South America, Europe
and Asia.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information about MCI Systemhouse,
visit the MCI Systemhouse website at www.systemhouse.mci.com or call
1-800-234-4586.