At a time when many Catholic elementary schools around the country struggle to fill seats, St. Genevieve School in Panorama City enrolls hundreds of students in its double-grade K-8 school.

The secret of its healthy census, numbering 639 students and counting in mid-summer, is due in large part to the integration of technology in everything from website-marketing to computer-enhanced curriculum, according to St. Joseph of Carondelet Sister Teresa Lynch, principal.

"I think technology is essential in this day and age. We really have to make the best use of technology so our students will be prepared," said Sister Lynch. To that end, the computer lab "classroom" has been dismantled in favor of three mobile computer carts each storing 30 Mac laptops.

"We take them into different classrooms for different assignments. The idea is to integrate use of the computer so it becomes second nature," said seventh grade literature teacher Mario David Lopez.

"Sister Teresa's been a really big advocate of modernizing everything," said Lopez, 28. "At first the goal was to focus on the students' writing. So what we used the computers for was for the writing process specifically, for revising drafts and not having to do so much by hand."

After attending a few technology workshops where he learned a podcasting program called "GarageBand," Lopez widened his technological applications. "The very first thing I did was have the students read the poems they wrote. They recorded them as a podcast, added a few sound effects, put them up on the school website and got some feedback," explained Lopez.

"Eventually what we want the students to be able to do is become independent technology users," said Lopez. "Especially with this Catholic environment, I think it's an extra good fit because of the perception that the schools are old-fashioned and things are so traditional. The minute people come and see the students using computers, especially when they're all on task, everyone's all surprised."

Summer school students in his video production/podcasting classes were editing videos and preparing closed-circuit TV programs for the first weeks of school. Lopez's classroom had a mini TV "studio" with two free-standing professional lights and a tripod-perched camera aimed at a draped "set" where students sat behind a desk for their video taping.

As they perfect their production skills, the students will eventually produce "live" early morning shows complete with daily announcements, guest interviews and the weather. "I told the students it's going to be as fun and as creative as they can make it," said Lopez. "I'm going to help on the technical end, but as far as what the content will be, they're going to do everything, kind of like a cable channel with programming."

When the 2007-08 school year begins Aug. 23, Lopez will teach junior high literature classes in the morning and facilitate technology integration in different grades in the afternoon. "As far as I know, I think we're one of the most advanced as far as the [technology] investments we've made," said Lopez.

Sister Lynch, who got the school's first mobile computer cart two years ago, says upgrading the school's technology resources has enabled the students to use a multi-media approach to individual and group assignments.

"I think we're really preparing them for tomorrow and for high school," said Sister Lynch. "They are going to be the leaders. They love it. It makes school very exciting for them."

Seventh grader Cristian Sanchez, who attended the video summer school class, said he enjoyed improving his cyber-skills. "I like this class because I like making videos and it helps me learn more about technology. It's very challenging," said Sanchez.

"I entered this class, because I wanted to learn how to use technology, including video production, and how to use it better," said seventh grader Joshua Rendon. He rattled off several names of editing software programs he learned, including "Final Cut Express," "Final Cut Pro," "LiveType" and "Motion."

Eighth grader Gabrielle Romero who came to St. Genevieve as a seventh grader after attending public school, said her school experience is "so much different. I never used a MacBook and I never recorded. Now it's so much fun."