Local school trashes paperwork

READING, Ohio - There is an age-old riff between high school seniors and freshman. From ignoring one another to downright teasing.

Typically it is in fun, and an opportunity for seniors to show their experience. But at Mount Notre Dame High School there is something in the air that the freshman have, and seniors do not.

The school adopted a personal computer curriculum that streamlines workflow between teachers and students. Principal Maureen Baldock said it was time to keep up with the students.

“This is the way they communicate with the world and this is the way we can get to them best.”

They started with the freshman class this year because of feasibility. Baldock said it would be unfair to ask seniors to purchase the computer and merely get one year out of it.

Social studies teacher Benn VanOuderallen has already seen the benefit of saving time and energy.

“We were doing a field trip yesterday down Mill Creek to the Ohio all the way up to Pittsburgh. It involved not gas and no paper. Using Google Earth and the technology we all took a field trip together and in 60 minutes later they were in another class.”

Students like Ashely Martin like not having to carry paperwork and books around.

“So if it's already on my laptop… it's just there.”

Senior Avery Larkin is not jealous, instead she likes the environmental aspects of the technology, she said.

“I think just being here has made me more environmentally conscious because I've started recycling paper at home too and they don't even have to think about that.”

Future classes will be integrated into the new wave with hopes of saving teachers’ and students’ time, money and energy.