UCS students promote technology to national coalition of superintendents

A group of Utica Community Schools students recently did their part to impact the opportunities of more than three million U.S. children.

The students - representing different UCS high schools and specialized programs - advocated the importance of technology to a national gathering of superintendents and industry leaders. 

"Equip your schools with the changing technology that we have today," Lorenzo Santavicca, a senior at Eisenhower High School, advised members of the audience. 

The student panel was part of a national conference of superintendents and technology industry leaders hosted by Utica Community Schools and the League of Innovative Schools. The League is a coalition of school districts organized through Digital Promise, a congressional initiative. 

Through the panel, students were able to detail how technology is part of their life and the ways it is helping them learn. 

Utica High School junior Preston Dukes shared with superintendents the way social media programs are creating connections between students and teachers, highlighting a program called Schoology. 

"It helps you have a professional connection to the outside world," he said. "It allows you to get other people's perspectives if you have a question or a problem." 

Other student participants discussed how technology can connect classrooms to real-world experiences. 

Alyssa Clements, of Utica High School, spoke of a live video feed of an autopsy that students viewed in their Medical Careers Course. The interactive program allowed students to ask questions of the doctors about different issues involved in their work.

"It was a great hands-on experience using technology," she said.
Josh Rzeppa, of Stevenson High School and the Utica Center for Science and Industry, said his high school programs are giving students his age practical experiences that provide an edge in earning high paying jobs. 
"There are people in college without that," he said. 

In addition to discussing technology, students also offered advice to their audience on other educational topics. 

Clements talked about the role of determination, persistence and grit in her success balancing rigorous classes, clubs and athletics. 

"Without the drive, I would get nothing accomplished," she said. "I have to know how to push myself to get all of my goals accomplished in a timely manner." 

Danny Haidar, of the Utica Academy for International Studies, spoke about taking learning beyond performance on tests scores and grade point averages. 

"The top motivation for doing my homework and studying is just to figure it out - to discover truth in whatever way a 17-year-old can," he said. "I never look at getting the A as succeeding. To me, what matters more, is I understand how these chemicals in my body interact to produce me, not that I got a 96 on the test."

Samantha Colavecchia, an Eisenhower High School graduate who began the Early College program when she was a junior, talked of the differences students may experience between high school and college teachers. 

"I do understand you need a caring teacher who will help you through your school work, but you do not get professors like that sometimes," she said. "You need to learn to work around it." 

Marisa DeLang, of Eisenhower High School and the Utica Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology, spoke of an internship that was required in her junior year. She interned with four pediatric doctors - her chosen field of interest. 

"It shows you what you are learning in the classroom really applies," she said. "You don't have to memorize it just for the test. It will have real applications in your life." 

Digital Promise is a Congressionally-authorized, bi-partisan organization created to spur innovation in education through the use of technology. The League of Innovative Schools - a coalition of national school districts organized by the organization - includes 40 districts in 24 states, representing nearly three million students.