Pure genius.

Student workers show off their tech-savvy skills while helping fix computers in the ChromeZone.

The ChromeZone is the only place in the school where students can always find help for their technological needs, any time during the day. Because there are so many students who need Chromebook support on a daily basis, many students have stepped up to help the dedicated staff members who are always in the ChromeZone by volunteering in exchange for community service hours or honors credit. Students who work in the ChromeZone need to know the ins-and-out’s of how these devices work including how to break them apart, find the issue, and then reconstruct it without damaging any parts.

Each member of the ChromeZone team has their own motives for working with computers. Some do it to help others.

“I like helping out other students and I am interested in how Chromebooks work” Junior Olive Caspall says.

Others volunteered because they were genuinely interested in computers as well as their education.

“I first wanted to do it as a hobby. Then I saw that there was a class, so I decided to do it,” Junior Henry Haack says.

Some students were even motivated by their family.

“My mom bought a laptop for me and that’s how I got into computers. Someone in the ChromeZone who took the class showed me how to take apart the computers,” Senior Estevan Simpson says.

This group of students spends many hours in the ChromeZone every week they’ve gotten to see some of the strangest, coolest and downright weird computer mishaps in the building.

“There was a Chromebook bent in half,” Haack says, “It looked like it got hit with a giant rock.”

Haller later added that it had in fact been run over by an SUV, not a rock. But, the next chromebook mishap makes this one seem insignificant.

“Our funniest Chromebook moment was when someone came in saying that it was sticky. He said his brother spilled maple syrup on it and we could smell it. We had to clean the whole computer and it finally worked, ” Haller says.

These students are always able to get to the bottom of the issue even if it means spending a lot of time on a single issue. Their dedication is what stands out the most. The ability to concentrate on a single problem for a long time without giving up and continuing to think creatively to get to the bottom of a technology problem is a skill that many students don’t have but is vital to success while working in the Chromezone. The leader of the ChromeZone, Gary Haller, weighed in on what characteristics he wants to see in potential students workers.

“Anybody who has an interest is welcome,” Haller says. “We want students who are interested in doing something during school to get pre-job experience that they could possibly put on a resume.”

If you have computer skills and think you may be a good fit to work in the ChromeZone, then contact Mr. Haller or visit the ChromeZone to speak with the staff and see for yourself if you’d like to work there too.