Shenango High seniors Brittany Flynn and Stevie Crisci regularly navigate the Internet to complete homework assignments.
But ask them to find their school district’s Web site.
“I didn’t know we had a Web page,” Brittany said.
They do, sort of.
“I think I heard about it before, but it’s not a big thing,” Stevie added.
It’s not. Visit www.shenango.k12.pa.us, and you’ll discover the site is under construction.
While Lawrence County’s seven other school districts have a presence on the Internet, Shenango exited the Information Superhighway earlier this year.
“The old one was so bad,” Superintendent Dr. Lawrence Connelly said after last night’s school board meeting. “We felt it was better not to have one. It was so outdated.”
The district’s original Web site was created approximately six years ago, according to ninth-grade computer applications teacher Vicky Rozanski.
“When we originally started it, it was student-produced,” Rozanski said. “We learned the basic codes.
“So much of the software nowadays does everything for them, plugging in the information. The students will pick it up in a minute.”
School districts such as Union and Mohawk offer extensive information, ranging from lunch menus to a calendar of events, on their sites. Shenango wasn’t able to match that quality.
“It’s disappointing at this point, but we feel we’re heading in the right direction,” Connelly said.
That’s not to suggest that students are at a disadvantage when it involves the Internet.
The Web site, edline.com, provides a place where Shenango teachers, students and parents can interact. The educational Web-hosting service allows students to see their grades, permits teachers to list weekly plans and notes, and gives parents the opportunity to see what their children are doing at school.
Shenango’s Web site will return online soon. A committee made up of parents, teachers and a tech person are working on the project. Beth Barber, the district’s tech coordinator, will manage the Web pages.
“At this point, we’re in the design phase,” Connelly said. “We’re very anxious to get it up.”
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Daniel Bell said it will be approximately four weeks before the “under construction” home page comes down.
“It’s going to be in stages,” he said. “We’re going to put the framework up first and then add on the links for the different buildings.”
The importance of the revamped site extends beyond the district, Connelly said. The community — locally and worldwide — can see what’s taking place.
“It’s nice to be communicating to people where Shenango is, what Shenango’s like,” he said. “That’s the missing link.”
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