NHS has its own resident tech experts — the student tech team is available as a credit-bearing course for students and a school resource.

“Student tech team is really the front line of Chromebook support,” instructional tech coach Amanda Devries said.

Available the majority of the school week tucked within the library near the Mercury Commons. Students constantly stream in for an unresponsive key, a seemingly possessed screen, or a whole host of Chromebook issues. The tech team members are trained in troubleshooting, and they can solve a variety of problems or offer workable solutions. 

The student tech team has been working as a bridge between technology and students since its inception in the spring of 2020, working to make complex technology understandable and accessible for students. Just this year student tech team has gone through the process to become a credit-bearing one-semester course for NHS students. The formal course description can be found on the 2022-2023 NHS Course Description Guide under course code 20180 Student Helpdesk. Although there is an interview process, Devries is always open to answering questions from interested students and is reachable at [email protected].

Beyond technological support to all NHS students, the tech team also manages the Makerspace. The Makerspace is true to its name, offering specialized machines for students’ creative endeavors.  If students would like to learn the process fully, the tech team has created various step-by-step technology guides so that any student with interest can learn how to use the Cricut cutting machine or Makerbot 3D printers. 

The Cricut is a master of paper precision. Students create their design on the Cricut software on one of the Makerspace laptops, with guidance from the student tech team as needed. The student tech team reviews their design and will then create the student’s design for them. Moving from 2D to 3D, students can create a 3D model in Tinkercad or Inventor, share the .STL file with the tech team and have their own creation sitting in their hands in the time it takes the print to be created on the Makerbot.

The student tech team is prioritizing making accessible “learning experiences beyond the walls of the high school,” Devries said.

Currently, the student tech team is working on community outreach by supporting a local chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America run its website. Along with audio editing for AskMyClass creating early education videos used by Amazon Alexa.