Next year, freshman backpacks will be a thing of the past.

Each incoming Wildkit will receive his or her own Chromebook.

“The laptops will open a variety of opportunities for students, not only in the classroom but also in their daily activities,” said David Chan, Technology Integration Specialist.

Freshmen will be able to use their Chromebooks everywhere they go in order to ensure academic success.

ETHS will introduce Chromebooks in yearly distributions, focusing not only on the financial aspects, but also on infrastructure and teacher training.

Freshman student fees will see a slight increase, but much of the initial funding will come from school funds.

“We are not passing along the entire cost because we want the students to take ownership of the laptops and be responsible with them,” added Chan.

Twenty Chromebook carts are currently distributed around the school for classroom use. Students are not allowed to take these devices home.

“We are starting to work with freshman teachers so we can share and model ways in which technology can improve student learning, thus opening up new possibilities once never imagined,” added Chan.

ETHS would also like to incorporate a peer tech support program.

To keep students focused on educational work, the ETHS web filter will apply to each laptop.

“We want students to have more opportunities in the classroom, but we also want to keep them protected,” said Chan.

Some current Wildkits are questioning the one-to-one process.

“I think that some people won’t be very responsible with them and they could get lost, stolen, or broken,” said Miara Handler, sophomore.

However, the Tech Dept. is still working out these issues.

“We want every student to have access to the laptop whenever they want.  Being able to personalize it and make it their own will open many new opportunities in and beyond the classroom for each student,” concluded Chan.