By Preston Fossee ’16 | Staff Writer

Returning South students all remember the school’s painfully slow computers.  These computers were replaced with much faster ones this summer and hopefully students will never have to endure this aggravation again.

South’s new computer’s are Hewlett-Packard ProDesk 400 G1 SFFs.  This model comes in a larger micro tower or smaller form factor design.  The latter is what most of the computers have been replaced with.  The Intel i5 processor in most of the computers can operate at 3.4 GHz.  Windows 7 Pro is the operating system functioning in the new computers, an upgrade from the Windows 6 in the old computers.  The graphics are also a major plus with this system, said Paul Hibbs, Grosse Pointe South’s Network Administrator.

“The computers and monitors were chosen due to them being the best speed and quality available for the price”, said Hibbs, “They replaced computers that were 8-13 years old.  They have much faster processors, more RAM, larger hard drives, and consume less power”.

In addition to computers, new ASUS monitors were also leased to replace the old ones.  These monitors deliver an excellent visual output.  The old keyboards and mice were also replaced with new ones, all manufactured by HP.  Dell laptops were also leased and approved by the school board.

The change has affected the library dramatically.  Teachers and students who use the library everyday will now be stunned by the speed of the new computers are capable of.  Obviously, the most affected people are the librarians, who have had to deal with the old computers every day.  Courtney McGuire, one of South’s librarians, has really been enthusiastic about this change.

“Naturally, I am thrilled to have computers that boot quickly with login times cut in half.  When students ask to print quickly, this can now become a reality,” said McGuire.

Teachers and students are equally pleased with the new computers.  Sending emails, writing papers and other tech tasks are now much simpler.  Waiting minutes to log on to a computer will not restrain the potential of students anymore.  Having to stay after class because the computer freezes right before sending an essay home via email will delay a lot fewer students now.

“When I was in the library and I clicked to open a new word document, I was astonished when my finger released the mouse button and as soon as it had released Word popped open,” said English teacher Sandra McCue.

In addition to the most important features of these computers, they also come with a few added bonuses.  These computers can support up to a two terabyte hard drive for expanded compatibility with large programs.  Inputs include four USB ports, a headphone and microphone jack and a DVD port.

HP, a giant in the tech industry, is the manufacturer of the computers, keyboards and mice.  Steve Woloszyn, the district’s technology manager, headed up all the upgrade ordering from a vendor of these HP computers.  Once a vendor was chosen, the district leased the best option.

“The budget for the technology upgrades was approved by the School Board,” said Woloszyn, “the lease contracts are held by Comerica”.

The vision for South’s technology does not stop here.

“We are constantly working to improve the technology in our district,” said Hibbs, “The immediate plans for South include a complete building re-wire to upgrade network capability in all rooms, add network ports in the wiring closets, complete the Wi-Fi installation and remove the outdated coaxial network”.

This new technology has revitalized South in so many ways. It allows students to harness their full potential and put out work better than ever.  Students and teachers can do more and improve the educational experience provided by South.  There are still more ways South could improve, but for in regard to computers, South’s technology officials and manager could not have done much better.