The beginning of the pandemic meant that as a school district we greatly increased our reliance on technology in order to continue to provide educational services to over 3,000 students. Students in grades K-12 were sent home with a district-issued Google Chromebook while PreK students were provided a district-issued Apple Ipad to connect with teachers, principals, staff members, and classmates.
But what happens when the school year is over and the Chromebooks and Ipads are returned? That is where the work of four GHS students begins. Logan Sturgeon (12th Grade), Demarco Harden (Class of 2021), Demarkius Medley (Class of 2021), and Alisha Woodside (12th Grade) were all hired by the CUSD #205 Board of Education at the June 3, 2021 meeting to fill the open positions for Summer Student Technology Support.
These students work Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. alongside Marcus Beal, CUSD #205 Technology Support Specialist, to clean and prepare the technology devices for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year. Marcus believes teamwork is a priority for the students, “Since I prioritize teamwork at all times, the interns are always talking and working together as a group and understand that just because one person is finished doesn’t mean everyone is finished. I also allow the interns to make decisions on how they would like to go about getting their tasks done, who does what, and when to do them.”
Marcus and the students have already finished cleaning and prepping the devices at Silas Willard, King Elementary, Lombard Middle School, and Galesburg High School and are currently working on devices at Churchill Junior High.
According to Marcus, “I believe the summer internship gives the students an inside taste of what it’s like to work on the school side of Information Technology. Since I.T. is such a broad field, with there being third party I.T., Networking, System Security, etc., it is essential for a student to get the first-hand experience whenever the opportunity becomes available.”
The last day of work for the students will be on August 20, 2021. Logan, Demarco, Demarkius, and Alisha have all been a strong addition to the Technology Department staff. Marcus states, “These students are really great workers. Their teamwork, speed, and quality of work have been a great help to our team and we greatly appreciate each of them.”
