Altoona Regional High School seniors gain valuable experience and on-the-job training through the district’s advancement and community service programs.
Bryce Cossiter, the district’s technology director, said students in both programs work with technology department staff at help desks in middle school and high school libraries to help with minor Chromebook issues.
Kositor said the difference between the two programs is that in the school-to-career program, two students are paid employees of the school district, while in the community service program, “a large number” of students perform community service throughout the school. They say that they are going there and getting credits for the curriculum. Not only in the technical department, but also in the district.
“This idea seems like a win-win,” he said. “This will allow us to support students with many of the issues they face on a daily basis and will give those we assist students with experience they can use on their resumes and college applications.”
This experience is especially valuable for those interested in pursuing a degree or full-time career in the technology field, he said.
Josiah Treece is one of two students in the Advanced Placement program.
Treece has not yet decided on his plans after high school. But he thinks deeply about the future of technology and enjoys helping others, he said.
“I just enjoy working with kids on computers,” he said. “Especially people who don’t really know what they’re doing. It’s kind of nice to show them different ways to solve their problems.”
Treece may replace keys if a student’s Chromebook is not working properly.
“We help them by fixing it,” he said. “Some[devices]can’t be kept up to date, so you always have to update them.”
Other issues fixed include wireless connectivity, touchscreen, and battery issues.
Students also gain valuable knowledge about troubleshooting a variety of technical issues, such as firewall protection and fixing Chromebook devices, said Anita Allmond, a technical support supervisor who works at the help desks in both buildings. said.
“They have a lot of hands-on experience, so if you decide to pursue a career in technology, you’ll have a lot of valuable knowledge to pass on, especially when it comes to things like repairs.” She said: “It’s great to be able to give them different skills.”
Cossiter said a student help desk was first considered several years ago, but the technology department had limited success developing it at the time.
“Over time, all of our students started carrying devices and we got excited about (the idea),” he said, adding that in the future he hopes to expand the program to include junior students. It is expected to expand, it added.
“There was discussion about developing something that would allow 11th grade students to go through a training program before becoming part of our workforce as help desk assistants,” Cossiter said. “But it has not yet been discussed and resolved.”
Mirror Staff writer Matt Churella can be reached at 814-946-7520.