At Jacksonville High School there are many different departments: math, science, social studies, English, business, fine arts, vocational, and special education. However, there is one more department many students do not know. Without this department, our school district would not run as smoothly as it does. The technology department is a vital component to not only JHS, but District 117 as a whole. The following individuals are members of the technology department.
Debbie Bailey works at the Help Desk in the Tech department. Her duties include a multitude of jobs including, but not limited to, creating email accounts for new district employees, assisting those that are in need of technological help, creating accounts for new students and teachers for the computers, and keeping inventory of all technology items in the entire district. Bailey attended Illinois State University for a B.S. in Chemistry, Eastern Illinois University for a M.S. in Physical Science Education, and University of Illinois for post graduate work in Teaching Chemistry with Technology. She enjoys using technology to enhance student learning and finds working in the department enjoyable because she never knows what will come up next. During her free time, Bailey enjoys going to classic rock concerts with her husband, especially to The Moody Blues concerts.
Nick Guidish is the System Administrator. He oversees an assortment of infrastructure components of the system. This includes servers of LAN, WAN, security cameras, and backup and cloud services. Guidish attended Illinois State University where he majored in Computer Information Systems and minored in Business Administration. He worked in the Tech department at ISU and enjoyed it; therefore, he chose to work at JHS in the same department. With three children in or soon to be in the district, he enjoys having a job that benefits them directly. When Guidish was in high school, he was a participant of the IHSA slam dunk competition.
Grant Joseph is the Computer Technician. He does upkeep and repairs on technology for the entire district. This includes fixing equipment that is broken and doing preventative care so that they will have the least amount of problems. Joseph attended Lincoln Land Community College and is currently working on getting his Computer Information Systems degree. He was born and raised in Jacksonville and liked the idea of working at a place that had a grand influence on him. He enjoys working hands-on with the vast array of equipment. From the age of eight to sixteen, Joseph played roller hockey and was a goalie on a traveling team at the age of fourteen and fifteen.
Zach Kording is the Assistant System Administrator. He helps Nick Guidish maintain the servers and network infrastructure and oversees the telecommunication software. This software is for Turner, JHS, and Central Office. Kording attended Lincoln Land Community and took database development and design courses. He has also completed his MTA and is working on his MCSE. He graduated from JHS and loved the idea of working in the same school district where he grew up. He also finds implementing technology in classrooms exciting. However, when Kording was in high school, he actually hacked the school network. He then became the teacher’s aide for the Computer Programming class.
Bill Poole is the Director of Technology and Library Sciences. His position crosses into many areas of the technical and instructional sides. No day is the same and he says that this makes his jobs interesting. Poole attended Illinois College for a B.S. in Elementary Education, University of Phoenix for a M.S. in Educational Administration and has attended Western Illinois University and University of Illinois-Springfield for additional hours. He finds educational technology fascinating and enjoys finding the next technology that may be useful in the classroom setting. He also enjoys coming to work every day and finds being in education very rewarding. Outside of school, Poole enjoys going to Cardinal baseball games and has been to many playoff games and two of the last three World Series the Cardinals have been in.
Wayne Stearns is the District Technologist Level II. He helps maintain and repair all technology devices. This is throughout the entire school district. Stearns attended Lewis and Clark Community College for an Associate in Applied Science-Microcomputer Support Specialist. He chose to work at JHS in the tech department because he wanted a job that was close to home where he could use his degree. Beyond his job, Stearns is the Jacksonville Track Historian for the Jacksonville Speedway.
Like most departments, the technology department contains a vast array of people. However, not only do they service JHS, they service the entire district. Without them, technology would not be a key factor in our education today.