“ It ’ s an awesome skill that they ’ ve learned , and those little things help them interact with their teachers , peers , and principals better ,” Czyzewski added .
At the Middle School , 8th grader Logan Artim said he ’ s always been interested in technology and “ tearing things apart ”, leading him to join the help desk . Seventh grader Mercedes Burton said her mom works with coding and technology , piquing her interest in the help desk .
“ I like helping people with their iPads and getting them back to learning ,” said Burton . “ Sometimes when other kids come by , I get to almost be like their teacher . That ’ s pretty cool .”
Similarly , 7th grader Kayla Morford said she ’ s always had an interest in coding and technology . A visit to the help desk for an issue of her own led her to joining the desk .
“ I found out about this through a problem I had before , and in 6th grade I saw they were having applications and I figured I might as well try it and see if it ’ s something I like . It turns out that I love it ,” said Morford .
“ It is a lot of fun . Especially last year , I had it at the end of the day , and if I had a rough day , I had something to look forward to .”
Morford added that her experience with the help desk has helped further spark interest in technology , leading her to join First Lego League , a club that integrates robotics with legos . Down the line , she believes her experience will be helpful when she joins the workforce .
Burton added that the help desk has led to several friendships , something Kraykovic stated as an extra benefit of the club , as middle school students are able to bond with high school students as well , giving them a mentor of sorts when they make the jump to 9th grade .
“ It ’ s almost like a big brother , big sister thing in the sense that they look out for their own . We have kids ranging from 10th grade down to 6th grade ,” Kraykovic said .
“ It ’ s nice for them to have a person at the high school so they don ’ t feel overwhelmed over there .”
Beyond those friendships , strong relationships with teachers have sparked , too . When a technology-related issue in the classroom arises , teachers oftentimes might look to see if they have a help desk student in their class to provide immediate assistance .
“ Anytime a teacher has an issue in the class , ordinarily one of our kids from the help desk can help them out . It ’ s a good feeling to know that you don ’ t need a teacher to come down and say that I ’ m having a problem because we ’ ve taught our kids well and they can help out ,” said Kraykovic .
“ It saves a lot of time for our teachers , because they have that time to teach instead of having to find somebody to help fix the problem .” ateway
GATEWAY SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Gateway School District is looking for sponsors ! Interested in advertising at one of our numerous facilities ? Scan the QR code for more information , or contact Jeremy Tepper , communications specialist , at jtepper @ gatewayk12 . org .
MONROEVILLE ❘ WINTER 2024 27