Winnacunnet High School

Technology Plan

2022-2024

Winnacunnet Cooperative School District

SAU 21

1 Alumni Drive

Hampton, NH  03842

603-926-3395

http://www.winnacunnet.org 

Table of Contents

Winnacunnet School Board Mission Statement and Goals

Winnacunnet High School Core Values and Beliefs

Winnacunnet High School Technology Vision Statement

Technology Outcomes

Current Technological Services

Infrastructure

Security Systems

Online Filtering and Data Retention

Instructional Resources

Chromebook 1:1 Program

Technology and Curriculum

Distance Learning

Personnel

Communication

Technology Goals 2018-2022

Connectivity

Network Operations Center

Disaster Recovery Plan

Lecture Hall

Dining Hall

Auditorium

Printing/Copying

Instructional Resources

Special Needs Students

Distance Learning

Budget Projections

Policy and Procedures

Related School Board Policy Documents

Winnacunnet School Board Mission Statement and Goals

TBD

Winnacunnet High School Core Values and Beliefs

The Winnacunnet High School community believes in educating the whole student by providing a flexible, engaging, and supportive atmosphere where learning is relevant and lifelong. Students are encouraged to work both collaboratively and independently to foster effective communication. We are committed to providing an education that promotes creativity, innovation, critical thinking, problem solving skills, and responsible decision making. We believe this will enable our students to become active, contributing citizens of their communities. Our commitment to these beliefs will help prepare all students to achieve their full potential.

Winnacunnet High School Technology Vision Statement

Technology improves the quality of teaching, learning and communication at Winnacunnet High School. Our curriculum is supported by a robust and ubiquitous technology environment that allows us to extend our reach far beyond the walls of Winnacunnet High school. We are committed to leveraging our technology in a manner that helps our faculty and students pursue academic excellence and a passion for learning.

Technology Outcomes

At the end of this five year plan, Winnacunnet High School will demonstrate the following:

• Every student at Winnacunnet will:

• Have access to a computer 24 hours a day
• Have access to a wireless campus network that is under firewall protection
• Have robust digital content available for remote access
• Have access to supplemental instructional content including video, audio and other multimedia resources available for remote access
• Have access to communication and productivity software available for remote access

• Every professional staff member at Winnacunnet will:

• Have a laptop computer or tablet available 24 hours a day
• Have access to a wireless campus network that is under firewall protection
• Have robust digital content filtered and available for remote access
• Have access to supplemental instructional content including video, audio and other multimedia resources available for remote access
• Have access to communication and productivity software available for remote access
• Have access to online gradebooks, shared resources, and productivity tools
• Have functional classroom presentation tools for displaying instructional content

• Every staff member at Winnacunnet will:

• Have access to a computer

• Have reliable access to online communication services, productivity software, and digital content as well as curriculum specific hardware and software
• Have focused professional development around technology integration

• Parents/ Guardians of Winnacunnet students will:

• Have a variety of ways to stay informed (i.e. school website, social media, PowerSchool, student newspaper, streaming video content)
• Have immediate emergency and school cancelation notifications sent via phone or email

• Winnacunnet High School will:

• Have an infrastructure that is adequate to serve the needs of the school community as outlined above
• Have an online presence including but not limited to:

• Social media presence (Twitter)
• Online streaming content of student activities
• Online streaming of WHS and SAU 21 School Board meetings

• Use technology to serve and collaborate with the community, including but not limited to:

• Local businesses & events
• Local colleges and universities
• Other secondary schools

• Hire, train, or recruit staff to help teachers better integrate technology in the classroom

Current Technological Services

Winnacunnet High School

FirstLight provides us with symmetrical 2GB fiber service.

The NOC (Network Operations Center) hosts 14 virtual servers and 2 physical servers as well as a Unitrends backup appliance and a SAN (Storage Area Network). Network connectivity and Internet content filtering is managed by two Dell SonicWall 5600s. This comprehensive network security appliance provides firewall services and content filtering to meet or exceed the requirements of Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA).

The current wireless network is managed through 130 ExtremeCloud (formerly Aerohive) access points and controlled by HiveManager, which allows us to manage multiple SSIDs as well as regulate traffic. In the summer of 2023, these APs will be replaced with Aruba access points and Aruba wireless management.

Most Winnacunnet High School classrooms and offices have one voice and multiple data ports for network connectivity.  Hawley Library Media Center has approximately 10 desktop computers and 20 Chromebooks. There are three wireless access points for LAN/WAN connectivity, two large screen TVs, two ceiling mounted LCD projectors, and a Virtual Reality station.

Winnacunnet High School uses GSuite services for staff and student email, file storage, presentation and productivity tools, and chromebook device management.

Security Systems

Winnacunnet High School has over 150 high-definition surveillance cameras on campus. A video intercom system was recently installed to allow for remote access and lock control at every building. Most external doors are controlled with an Avigilon Access Control System with lockdown capabilities and all exits are monitored 24 hours a day with security cameras.

Online Filtering and Data Retention

Staff and students are provided with individual network accounts to access school computers, network resources and GSuite applications. Winnacunnet High School uses Google Vault to archive email, drive files and chat transcripts. Student communication and data across these resources can be searched, placed on hold and saved as determined by school board policy. Student Chromebook traffic is filtered both on, and off site, using SonicWall and Securly content filtering services.

Instructional Resources

The school maintains the Hawley Library Media Center as the hub of access to instructional technologies. The book collection, eBooks, online databases, audiobooks, audio-visual materials and equipment are developmentally appropriate, current, organized, cataloged and managed in support of NH School Approval Standards for Ed 306.08. Our library has a ‘maker space’ available for classroom reservation.

Winnacunnet High School offers specialized computer systems for electronic music, electronic video editing, Art & Photography, CAD, Web Design, Business Graphics, Publishing, and Accounting.

Chromebook 1:1 Program

Winnacunnet High School has a robust 1:1 Chromebook program. Once enrolled at WHS, every student receives a personal Chromebook device to be used throughout their high school career. The IT Services department repairs and maintains these devices as requested. Upon successful graduation, each student may donate their computer back to the school or keep it as their own. Winnacunnet High School has offset costs associated with this deployment by collecting a modest student usage fee of $25 upon entry as a freshman or transfer student.

Technology and Curriculum

All freshmen are required to take a Freshman Seminar course during the first trimester of their freshman year. The curriculum covers Internet safety, digital citizenship, responsible use and academic honesty. Included in this course are the basics of using a computer network and an introduction to GSuite applications.

Winnacunnet High School requires 2 credits in Information Communication Technology coursework for high school graduation instead of the 1/2 credit required by the New Hampshire Department of Education. Students may choose from the following courses:

IT Personnel

The IT Services Department includes a director, a systems administrator, a database administrator, a computer technician, and a print services technician. A technology integrator works under the Director of Curriculum to provide training and assistance to WHS teachers and students.

Communication

Winnacunnet High School utilizes PowerSchool as a means of managing and collecting student data. The four sending schools in SAU 21 send their 8th grade student data to Winnacunnet High School each year prior to their enrollment. Our PowerSchool parent portal allows students and parents to access grading and attendance data, register for school, and sign up for athletic teams. On average, parents and students login to PowerSchool more than 7,200 times each week.

Food Services uses MySchoolBucks so that parents may quickly and securely pay for student meals and snacks through an online account. The Hawley Library uses a variety of online services to support student research, book and equipment reservations and eBook downloads.

The Winnacunnet High School website provides information to current and prospective students and their families. Resources are available for students, parents, faculty and community members. The mobile -friendly formatting makes this site accessible to all kinds of devices. http://www.winnacunnet.org

Using YouTube live streaming services, SAU 21 broadcasts school board meetings live from the WHS Lecture Hall. Winnacunnet High School has social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Parents are encouraged to subscribe to the WHS Daily Announcements group for regular email updates. Automated calls, mass emails and SMS messages are sent using School Messenger.

Evening School students use a separate Google domain (whsevening.org) to save and share their work with teachers. Evening School students have access to the WHS computer network and building resources. The IT Services department is responsible for supporting and maintaining the computers and printers used by our Evening School students and teachers.

Technology Goals 2022-2024

• Infrastructure: Improve the speed, capacity and reliability of the Winnacunnet High School network to meet the demands of our 1:1 chromebook program with emphasis on wireless infrastructure upgrades and replacements in 2023.

• Instructional Support: Instructional support and professional development are the cornerstone of a successful educational technology program. WHS professional development programming will continue to focus on the appropriate use of Chromebooks and digital tools to support curricular goals.

• Communication: Winnacunnet High School will continue to improve communication with the larger school community.

Connectivity

Robust network appliances and high-speed Internet connectivity are essential to students and teachers. Our internal network throughput should reach 10GB and our external connection to the Internet should be increased to a minimum of 2GB by 2024.

Network Operations Center

Within the Network Operations Center (NOC), Winnacunnet High School maintains a Storage Area Network (SAN) that is used for on-site data backup. Fourteen virtual servers are maintained on two physical servers. These two physical servers will need to be upgraded upon end-of-life in 2024.

Disaster Recovery Plan

Natural disasters, fire, equipment failure and sabotage are all points of network vulnerability. Something as simple as a power outage can cause serious problems. The WHS DRP (Disaster Recovery Plan) proactively addresses this concern. WHS currently uses Google’s Cloud Storage services for secure data backups and geographic fault tolerance.

Power Loss

In the event of a power loss to the building, the NOC (server room) has an Eaton Blade UPS system that provides up to one hour of battery run time if there is no power to the system. The system is also backed up by a generator.  If the generator is running, the UPS batteries will run for a few seconds before switching back to normal power. This will run our critical servers and switches until either the fuel runs out or the power comes back on.  This is enough time for us to shut down critical systems to avoid a hard crash.  Data closets also have smaller UPS units which can provide 20-30 minutes of power to nearby switches and Wireless Access Points.

Natural Disaster or Fire

In the event of a flood or fire in our NOC or any other data closet, there is likely to be extensive physical damage to critical IT infrastructure.  If the damaged equipment results in partial or total data loss, then it will be necessary to recover the data from backup.  Our data is currently backed up in a variety of ways:

1. Google backs up all work stored in our individual employee and student WHS Google Drive accounts.  This cloud-based storage is protected from any disaster at our location.
2. Files hosted on our local network are stored on virtual servers, but are backed up first to a Unitrends backup appliance and second to our NAS.
3. All data is backed up incrementally on a daily basis. Full backups happen once each week. This data is stored in Google’s Cloud services and available should we need to restore services in the event of a total data loss.

Equipment Failure or Sabotage

Sabotage is unlikely to occur if our users adhere to proper procedures and follow district policies.  If our data is corrupted or destroyed via sabotage, the same basic procedures for recovery apply.

Lecture Hall

The lecture hall was most recently upgraded in 2017. A high-definition laser projector was installed to improve presentation quality in the space. And, three motorized, high-definition cameras were installed to improve the visual quality of our live broadcasts. The addition of higher quality wireless microphones should be considered to accommodate the larger SAU 21 Joint Board.

Dining Hall

A portable projector is used for events held in the Dining Hall. The addition of a 65” flatscreen TV was installed above the kitchen doors in 2022, and is being used as an informational display.

Auditorium

The Winnacunnet High School auditorium is a popular space for concerts, lectures, and meetings. A laser projector was installed in 2020 and there have been recent upgrades to the lighting and sound components in that room.

Printers/Copiers

There are 38 printers and 21 MFPs (copy/scan/print) at Winnacunnet High School. Many of these single printers are not being replaced. By diverting print jobs to high capacity, secure printing MFPs WHS will lower the total cost of ownership, reduce the number of service calls and allow employees to use FollowMe printing services to reduce waste and prevent confidential documents from accidental discovery. Major printing jobs (handbooks, mailings, certificates, etc.) will still be handled in the WHS Copy Center.

Instructional Resources

Winnacunnet High School will continue to provide both students and staff access to high-quality classroom presentation systems, including quality audio and high-definition video projection.

• Update classroom presentation systems as needed
• Replace laptops for professional staff on a 5-year cycle
• Replace computers for support staff on an 5-year cycle
• Continue to purchase Chromebook devices for every incoming freshman class that best fit the needs of our evolving curriculum.

Special Needs Students

Specific requirements of special needs students attending WHS are addressed through Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Some of these plans may require technology equipment. WHS has developed support systems consisting of various outside consultants and regular special education staff for the purposes of providing technology services to staff and students. Because the integration process emphasizes a team approach, teachers are encouraged to include special education staff when designing instructional units with technology. Examples of software used in the district to address learning needs of special education students includes Read Write for Google, text-to-speech software packages and Bookshare licensing for students with print disabilities.

Distance Learning

Google Classroom has been widely adopted as an instructional tool, allowing teachers and students greater levels of collaboration and flexibility in instruction, specifically with respect to credit recovery. Students and staff have significantly increased their use of Google Drive for many applications in the classroom and at home.

Enrollment in online courses through Virtual Learning Academy Charter School and similar programs continues to grow.

Budget Projections

Policies and Procedures are updated as new policies become available.

AD                        Winnacunnet High School Mission Statement

ADA                        School District Goals and Objectives

JICL        School District Internet Access for Students

JICL-R        Acceptable Internet Use Procedures - Students

GBEF        School District Internet Access for Staff

GBEF-R        Acceptable Internet Use Procedures for Staff

EGAD                        Copyright Compliance

EHB        Data Records Retention

EHB-R        Data Retention Schedule

EHAA                     Computer Security, Email and Internet Communications

Revised on 4/19/2023