The school system of Calais has a new digital presence as a result of a collaborative effort between faculty and a talented freshman. The new website, designed by student Shane DelMonaco, went live recently with a wealth of informative content. It was presented to the school committee on December 5, along with a report of the iPads now in use by 7th and 8th graders and a second reviewing of the employee cell phone policy.
     The new website was designed entirely by DelMonaco with the assistance of Jon Bragdon, computer electronics director at St. Croix Regional Technical Center. DelMonaco has worked on the project since September in Bragdon's class as part of a hands‑on learning and development approach. Now that the site has been built and is live online, DelMonaco will no longer be working on it in class but will instead be hired by the school system to maintain the site. According to Superintendent Ron Jenkins, he will receive $500 for the regular upkeep of the website. The funds may be reimbursable through St. Croix Regional Technical Center's student learning system.
     "I think it is going to be a real improvement over what we've been able to do," Jenkins said to the committee. "It's going to keep changing, which, for one thing, is something we've never been able to do yet."
     "One of the coolest parts about this new site is that it will serve half as an information content site and half as a news site," DelMonaco said as he presented the website to the committee. DelMonaco will be updating the site regularly with news and content provided from sources throughout the school system. "It's a good way to get news about what's going on and to access certain content."
     The website address is <http://calaisschools.org/>.
     Middle school teacher Jim Randall presented the committee with an overview of the newly introduced iPads, which are now in the hands of seventh and eighth graders while they are at school. The iPads come equipped with various applications intended to improve productivity and enhance learning, both individually and in group settings.
     Committee members Kevin Niles and Tom Robb expressed concern about what the students would use the devices for; however, Randall explained that he has full capacity to monitor what students are looking at and that such monitoring is well discussed in advance with students. Technology Director John Francis confirmed that any website visited by any individual device can be traced back to the student. Calais Middle/High School Principal Mary Anne Spearin confirmed the protocols in place and expressed why the school is choosing to utilize iPads. "There is no device in the U.S. or in the world that is 100% secure for students to use," she said. "We can teach our kids to be responsible with these devices and to become tech students and tech citizens."
  Superintendent Jenkins praised the efforts of Francis and those who worked on making the iPads a viable option for the school. "When you have a community effort and a bunch of people working together, you're able to get an awful lot of stuff done. This is one of the projects we've got a lot of cooperation from," Jenkins said.
     The second reading of the employee cell phone policy was accepted following a discussion over its implementation and enforcement. Most of the committee was agreeable to the policy, which forbids employees from using cell phones during instructional time. "I don't think anyone's really breaking this policy if it were a policy at the moment, but it's good to fall back on," committee member Joe Footer said. Committee member Tom Robb presented the dissenting opinion based on how the policy had been modified away from the original one by the legal firm Drummond Woodsum. "My preference would be to accept the policy, but as it was originally written," Robb said. Superintendent Jenkins replied that the policy was essentially original outside of pertinent changes to make it applicable to Calais. "When we get them, they always come with a statement that says 'these are for your perusal and you should make adjustments to fit your situations,'" Jenkins explained. The policy was accepted, with Robb in opposition.
     Two resignations were accepted by the committee, one from Kayla Kochendoerfer, ed tech I at the elementary school, and from Lacey Phelps, who needs to conduct student teaching at Princeton as a requirement for the completion of her degree.