Today’s technology is definitely not what it was 10 years ago. South High has evolved into a modern, efficient, well oiled machine that is equipped with all sorts of technology… specifically the ChromeBooks. Each student is given a ChromeBook as a one to one device to use for academic needs during the school day and at home. English teacher Jennifer Scapellato taught in a time when there were no ChromeBooks, and the school only had 1 computer lab and was in the process of getting another one. “Students did not generally type papers back then, most of the papers were handwritten because it was more convenient to the student”. It has proven to be a great privilege and tool-to some that is. Sophomore Matthew Detrana stated that, “It allows teachers to dump more responsibility on the student and that means more workload for us.” Some may view a con for ChromeBooks to be that many assignments are online and teachers may assume students can do more assignments with this freedom. Senior Courtney Trescher and Freshman Lacey Yang both agreed that the newfound technology has made homework more convenient and easier to maneuver through documents and assignments.

“It enables me to get the resources that I need and it proves to be a very helpful tool. A lot nicer than the ipads we used to have,” Yang explained. The Freshmen this year had the opportunity of having iPads in middle school. They could easily get Google presentations, and use them for research projects. A handful of freshmen believe that the ChromeBooks are more efficient and smoother than the iPads. “It’s nice to have all of my assignments in one place,” Trescher said when asked about the ChromeBooks. Junior Mitchel Larsen greatly enjoys the technology at South. “It definitely cuts down on the weight of my backpack that’s for sure, because a lot of my textbooks are on the ChromeBook. It makes school more efficient,” Larsen said. But with the privilege of having the world at your fingertips, there also comes responsibility. “The technology is very useful, but it diminishes the concept of quality sources. Students do not know the difference between valid information, and useless statements,” Scapellato explained, “Students 10 or 20 years ago were not subject to that problem”. Technology has evolved a lot since the class of 1995 graduated, and South has been fortunate enough to be able to keep up with the times. When asked how technology has evolved, Scapellato closed with, “It has evolved by leaps and bounds. The classroom can be more interactive with online discussions and there is more information for students to have. I believe that the technology at South High is something to be thankful for”.