South Side High School has been full of changes this year

Innovation for South Side High School is nothing new. With proactive teachers, advanced technology and the International Bachelorette program, South Side is perpetually attempting to push students out of their comfort zone and trying to encourage critical thought.

This necessity to be on the forefront of education seems to be a fundamental characteristic of the school’s history, and was typified by the tremendous changes South Side underwent during the 2015-16 school year. The school opened a new wing, distributed iPads to students for use with all their coursework and it was John Murphy’s first year as principal.

For Murphy, the hardest thing to adapt to was the fact that he was now responsible for everything that happened in the building. “The challenge is the all-inclusive nature of what I do,” he said. “When someone is telling you it is your responsibility, it’s a challenge.”

Murphy was not the only one facing new challenges. Students were also dealing with new curriculum, technology and a changing building — all things that could be overwhelming.

“Life is better with the iPads, but they do have their malfunctions from time to time,” said Thomas Van Vort, a student who will be starting his senior year this September. “The home button occasionally wouldn’t work and sometimes apps necessary for completing the class work would crash.”

Though not without problems, the introduction of the iPads has opened a door to brand new learning techniques. Bulky textbooks can be digitalized, notes have become more easily accessible to students at home and novel apps help students stay informed and organized.

These changes profoundly affect every student, but they affect them differently. “With all the rooms changing, it felt like a different school,” said Mohammad Abdelmajid. “It was like freshman year all over again.”

Freshmen quickly adapted, not knowing any other version of South Side, while seniors found themselves in an alien environment.

Students were both benefitted and challenged by the new developments, and so were teachers.

To incorporate iPads into the coursework, teachers had to learn the mechanics of the devices and develop effective ways to use them in class. In English, books were digitized, aiding students in keeping them organized with their annotations, and some teachers created study material easily accessible on the iPad.

But there were some glaring negatives for teachers. There is a vast array of games available on iPads, which students sometimes play during class. Because of that problem, Murphy said the school will be implementing a new monitoring system next year.

“Introducing the iPads was a pretty big task and it created a host of really good questions for students to ask themselves,” said Murphy. “When is it appropriate to use technology? How should we use it? These are the questions students have to ask.”

The district didn’t only give students iPads to create new teaching methods and techniques, but to also give them responsibility. Getting students college-ready is one of South Side’s main goals, and it’s important to learn responsibility before heading off to higher education. Which is why the plethora of changes that occurred will further prepare students for adulthood and college.