annporter

Some girls are barely surviving. Others couldn’t care less.

The removal of the iMessage app completely and the blocking of Netflix on school Wi-Fi have been hot topics of conversation among students ever since school started.

In the Fall of 2013, Marian implmented the iPad one-to-one program to enhance the learning environment.

Admininstration knew that because Marian is a school filled with social media-obsessed girls, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat were blocked on school Wi-Fi right away.

Principal Mrs. Susie Sullivan said she was shocked to learn that students had iMessage on their iPads because she is hooked on it herself. She explained that the AvcancED Survey sent last spring to students, parents, faculty, and staff all had complaints abut technology.

When asked if there was a way to block iMessage on school Wi-Fi rather than delete the app completely, she said, “That was our goal. I thought that’s what we were doing until a couple of days before school, when Mr. [Billy] Diebler [Technology Director] told me that we have to totally take it off. We tried to just block it here, but we couldn’t,”

Sullivan explained that iMessage was a huge issue, and that Marian was getting numerous complaints from parents about how the app is distracting their daughters.

“It’s the equivalent of passing notes when I was in school. You could get caught very easily passing a note, though. The problem with the iPad is that you’re supposed to be on it for a class, and you ladies are quick to send a text and the teacher just thinks you’re working on something. It’s hard to catch you. We are trying to save you from yourselves,” Sullivan said.

“I understand why administration took iMessage away, but I am upset that I can’t text my 19-person group chat or just say “hi” to my mom randomly throughout the school day,” senior Sara Flaxbeard  said.

Other students have spoken out about this issue saying it is harder to communicate about projects or other school-related activities.

“I think it helps us focus, but it’s an inconvenience for communication,” junior Anna Nulty said.

Blocking Netflix on school Wi-Fi is another change administration made. Some girls get so caught up in a series that any sort of free time at school, or even during class time, is spent cramming in the next episode of “Grey’s Anatomy “or “One Tree Hill.”

Sullivan said that, yes, the distraction of Netflix is a problem, but an even bigger issue is the overuse of Wi-Fi. “With so many people streaming on Netflix, it takes up our Wi-Fi. It would slow down the Wi-Fi for everyone else,” Sullivan said.

This year, Marian has purchased 12 additional Wi-Fi access points to try to increase Internet speed because there have been lots of complaints about slow Wi-Fi.

Blocking Netflix will hopefully make the Wi-Fi faster and more accessible throughout the school.

Even though iMessage is gone, emailing and the phone in the office are available for each girl to use.

Some girls might not see it now, but removing iMessage and blocking Netflix are just two more distractions that students don’t have to worry about.