Parent Teacher Magazine Union County Public Schools Sept/Oct 2015 | Page 5

UCPS Depot buzzing with summer activity

Union County Public
This program has
Schools classrooms may be
not only contributed
empty of students who have
to reducing the
left for the summer, but there
summer task load on
is no summer break for UCPS
Depot engineers, but
Technology Services staff.
has also cultivated
They have a lengthy list of
interest in information
tasks to finish before students
technology (IT) and
return to school.
employment within
In addition to daily
the district itself.
operational duties, an
Cody Helms, a
emphasis has been placed
Central Academy
on repairing and updating
of Technology and
Chromebooks currently in
Arts 2014 graduate
use throughout the district,
and summer intern
and also provisioning
for two years, has
Chromebooks for classroom
recently accepted
use in grades three through
a position within
five.
Technology Services
Emil Iglesias, senior
as a desktop support
systems engineer with
engineer.
Technology Services, said
“I wouldn’t have
in the past several months,
known half the
the Depot engineers have
information I
personally assessed more
currently know
than 15,000 Chromebooks
without the exposure
on location at the middle and
to various tasks
high schools.
during my summer
Cody Helms, who has spent two years as an intern at the UCPS Technology Depot,
“During this time, repairs
internships,” he said.
starts a repair on a Chromebook. He has recently accepted a position within
continued at the Depot and
Under the
Technology Services as a desktop support engineer.
the Chromebooks that were
supervision of various
received, were put back into
desktop support
the hands of the students in time for testing,” Iglesias
engineers throughout the past two summer
said. “Since school ended, we have been working on
internships, Cody said he expanded his
a summer refresh project. All Chromebooks in the
IT knowledge relating to hardware and
county are again cleaned and necessary repairs made
Chromebook repairs.
so that the students have a 100 percent functional and
While a student at CATA, Cody completed
clean Chromebook ready for the new schools year.”
coursework associated with the school’s IT
Since June 22, approximately 1,000 Chromebooks
Academy. In addition to core classes, he
have been serviced by Depot engineers, with nine
took specialized classes in Networking and
schools completed and devices shipped back to the
Computer Engineering.
schools.
He also had hands-on experience with
“Also in this short timespan, more than 10,000
CISCO routers and switches, in addition to
additional Chromebooks for the elementary schools
troubleshooting and repairing devices.
have been received, inventoried and provisioned for
Cody credits the summer internship and the
use,” Iglesias said.
Cody Helms, far right, had been an intern academy at CATA with leading him to the IT
“Many people don’t realize the efforts and the skills
job at the Depot. “Both have prepared me
for the past two years, but was recently
of the Depot engineers, but these eight people are
for my current position,” he said.
hired as a desktop support engineer. He
key players in the movement and upkeep of the
Cody has scheduled his A+ Certification
is pictured with other interns who have
been working over the summer at the
approximately 35,000 Chromebooks throughout ѡ