“ I cannot overstate how transformational the Residential Life program has been to Thornton Academy. The students are kind, polite, and they take their studies seriously.”
6 the time. He presented the video at the University of Southern Maine where he continued his education by enrolling in Media Studies. Immersed in video editing, he basically“ lived in the computer lab” mastering Final Cut Pro, which provided a strong technical foundation and led him to sign up for a very challenging programming class. Ben remembers it as an invigorating and humbling experience.“ I was so scared, but I remember saying,‘ I really like C ++ and Java. I can do this.’”
After graduating from USM in 2003, he seized the opportunity to return to his alma mater to work in tech support where he could bring his experience to“ add immediate value” to the school. Henry Beeukes was the Director of IT at the time.“ It was so fun to go to work because it improved people’ s lives. I loved being able to add that value,” said Ben. When the Director position opened in 2006 Ben transitioned into the role, moving the IT Department more towards the network side of operations because of the interconnected nature of educational technology.
Students from all over the world love to spend time in the Nasse Family’ s apartment in Stasio Hall.
Ben’ s team currently includes Technology Integration Specialist Amanda Doyle, IT Assistant Bruce Van Der Riet, and IT Assistant Amanda( Tanguay) Normand’ 06. Beyond assisting with solving problems, they also work to empower staff and students to be able to find solutions independently, while encouraging faculty to innovate their teaching methods. Ben explained that they are constantly asking questions like,“ How do we integrate? How do we get staff
to adopt new technologies into daily practices?” From devices in classrooms to locking doors to overseeing the Residential Program’ s needs, the IT Department’ s responsibilities are farreaching. Now that Thornton has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School, what comes next? Technology doesn’ t sit idly. The team is hard at work putting together long-term strategic plans and partnerships with goals that include moving students and faculty to use the exact same devices, and continuing to push forward with initiatives that enhance classroom experiences.
Whether he’ s playing tug-of-war at Hill Stadium for the Dorm Olympics, watching his daughter dance across Garland Auditorium’ s stage in The Lion King, or serving dinner for students at his apartment in Stasio Hall on a snow day, Ben goes above and beyond any job description to ensure that the Thornton Academy experience is rewarding, distinguished, and fun. His hard work ethic carries over to his free time as he participates in several triathlons, including the iconic half Ironman— a demanding course consisting of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride, and a 13.1-mile run. He likes that it’ s a personal challenge requiring stamina. Motoring through the water, pedaling down a paved road, or leaping across the finishing line, similar to when he’ s tackling a complicated technology problem at school, he’ s only competing with one person: himself.
So … how about a full Ironman?
“ No, the half was enough for me!” he said with a laugh. But with Ben, you just never know.