Mt. Pleasant High School begins research for 1:1

BY KARYN SPORY

Mt. Pleasant News

The Mt. Pleasant High School is going to be purchasing some new technology, at least a few pieces.

During the school board meeting Monday night, the board approved the high school?s tech try out proposal, which included purchasing 10 Macbook Pro computers, five HP Specter X360 computers and five Lenovo Yoga 900 computers.

High School Principal Todd Liechty said the high school?s technology committee would like to try a variety of devices to find what would better suit teachers when it comes to implementing the 1:1 initiative.

Currently, none of the high school teachers have Macbooks, so they would like to test them out. However, a Windows-based device would run with the school?s projectors and circumvent using the widget boards, which cover up the teacher?s white board. ?They can?t use the white board because the ink ruins the widget board,? said Liechty.

Board member Joy Conwell asked if the committee decided to go with the Windows-based computers over the Macbooks.

?We know we have need for the machines regardless if we choose Macs or PCs. They will be in full use,? he said. ?Either way, the district will not be spending money on something that is not needed.?

If the Macbooks are chosen, the Windows-based computers will be used in the Project Lead the Way classrooms, as their Boot Camp software runs on Windows. If the Windows-based computers are chosen, the Macbooks will be sent to the middle school or elementary school buildings for district use.

The cost for the 20 devices would be $22,235, plus shipping and handling. However, Liechty said he was able to find a better deal on the Windows-based computers through Best Buy, which would decrease the total cost. Also, he would be able to pick those units up from Iowa City, instead of having them shipped to the school.

Specifics of each device are as follows:

? Macbook Pro: eight GB memory, Intel Core i5, 512 GB flash memory, 10 hours battery life, $1089/unit.

? HP Specter X360: eight GB memory, Intel Core i7, 256 GB flash memory, 9.5 hours batter life, touchscreen, $1169.99/unit.

? Lenovo Yoga 900: eight GB memory, Intel Core i7, 256 flash memory, eight hours battery life, touchscreen, $1099/unit.

Also during the meeting, Liechty updated the board on the band?s trip to New York and Washington D.C., this summer.

Liechty said that as ISIS continues to threaten an attack on American soil, he and the band director Jim DePriest have decided to let parents decide if they would want their students to attend the trip in June. Liechty said a letter is being sent home to parents stating that if they choose not to send their child on the trip, they will receive a refund on everything except for the initial $100 deposit.

?We talked and thought it was important for the parents to make the decision (whether or not to send their child),? said Leichty. ?It would be a horrific event if our students went to (Washington) D.C., and were involved in something. But on the other side of that, if our students and parents weren?t allowed to choose, then they?re missing that experience.?

Liechty said he and DePriest discussed going somewhere else this year, but realistically an attack could happen anywhere.

Liechty added that they would be taking more chaperones on this trip, making it a 10 to one student/chaperone ratio. For each outing on the trip, there will be a designated rallying point, in case of a catastrophic event. Students will be taking a bus, not a plane.

Liechty added that Mr. DePriest?s children were still going on the trip and if his own daughter had signed up for the trip, he would allow her to go. ?Even though I?m afraid, I can?t let that rule my life,? he added.

Parents will have until Dec. 9 to decide if they will send their child on the band trip.

The next meeting of the Mt. Pleasant School Board will be on Monday, Dec. 14, at 6 p.m., in the high school?s media center.