It gives me great pleasure to formally introduce the 2015-2016 Help Desk staff. This year’s student geniuses are eager to apply their technology skills, knowledge, and experiences to assist the students, teachers, administrators, and staff of Burlington High School with any and all of their technology needs. This year’s Genius Bar crew has already been working diligently to ensure everyone at BHS has access to the technology tools and resources they need to teach and learn in our 1:1 iPad, Google Apps for Education environment. To say they have been busy is an understatement!
Over the past seven days, the BHS Help Desk staff has had a steady flow of students needing help with their iPads. The brand new staff (I have one returning student) has provided exceptional customer service and has been able to solve almost every problem presented to them. I’ve witnessed my new students assist their peers with creating new iTunes accounts and Apple ID’s, setting up school Gmail accounts, connecting to the wi-fi network, updating the latest version of iOS, demonstrating how to submit work digitally via Google Classroom, and troubleshooting hardware. I must add that my students have managed to demonstrate the essential skills of the Help Desk curriculum including professionalism, critical thinking, problem-solving, initiative, leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills with very little formal training. Students have “hit the ground running” so to speak and have literally been learning on the job. I’m already impressed with the work ethic shown by my students and feel confident they will continue to support innovation in the classroom. They seem to be a highly motivated group of problem-solvers, collaborators, and risk-takers!
The nature of the Help Desk program has allowed my students to realize how they can use their technology skills and knowledge in a real-world, collaborative setting. Although there has yet to be a formal introduction to the course expectations, goals and objectives, students have taken the initiative to independently review the syllabus, ask thoughtful questions, and have developed an understanding of their role as educational technology consultants. As students and teachers settle into a new school year and the technology “glitches” are resolved, I know my students will continue to uphold the outstanding reputation our Help Desk program has developed. I look forward to getting to know my students and to sharing their work over the course of the semester. I am already very proud of what they have accomplished and learned in just a few short days. Their first assignment was to write their Help Desk biography. In their own words, please meet the 15-16 Burlington High School Help Desk staff.
Timmy Sullivan
A senior at Burlington High School, Timmy Sullivan is returning to complete his second year as a BHS Help Desk member. He joined the Help Desk in the fall of his junior year with aspirations to explore the intricate technical world. Fast forwarding, he is now an invited speaker having keynoted and presented at various educational technology conferences regarding his work with technology integration, student agency, and personalized learning. Perpetuated by his passions for language, he has developed a business around freelance blogging, in which he can exercise his admiration for syntax and expression, while promoting the personalized learning campaign and indulging in his entrepreneurial aspirations. Having enhanced his learning of the Spanish language through technology, as well as beginning to teach himself Arabic, Sullivan excels in the integration of technology for language learners. He frequently employs applications such as YouTube, Duolingo, and Google Hangouts to learn the fundamentals of a language, as well as connect with native speakers. His “must have” iOS applications for the ‘15-’16 scholastic year are Notability, Duolingo, and the Chipotle app. Sullivan enjoys listening to alternate perspectives, providing advice for students and educators, and practicing foreign language. To contact him, tweet him at @TimmyS54, connect via LinkedIn, or visit his blog.
Henry Lutwama
What’s up! My name is Henry Lutwama. I’m a junior at Burlington High School and this is my first year in Help Desk. I will be working seventh periods and am excited to be part of this great team. I joined Help Desk to help other people track any technology troubles and I enjoy helping people with their tech problems. My “techpertise” is in Android devices and all technologies. My favorite app is Flinch because it connects people all around the world randomly through a video. Technology has been part of me for my entire life ever and it’s something I’ve loved since I was young. Technology is so helpful in our society and especially in our schools because it gives you a variety of resources and students don’t have to rely on the teacher for information all the time. Besides technology I also enjoy sports including soccer, football and rugby. I am thinking about majoring in computer engineering in college and pursue a career in technology. In a world run by technology for all aspects of life, from efficient work operations and management to social networking connections, it is no surprise that information is the foundation of our collective future. That being said, you connect with me through my Twitter handle @henrysydx
Don Boermeester
My name is Don Boermeester and I am a senior. This is my first year in the Help Desk program and I will be working during fourth period. I joined the Help Desk because during my junior year I was able to work with Ms. Scheffer to help her remodel a room into The Maker Space. During this project, Ms. Scheffer and my other teacher Ms. Chang influenced me to join the Help Desk and I thought it was a good idea because I like helping people out and have a pretty good understanding of the technology that we use in the school. I am best suited to using Apple products because I grew up around them and own many devices myself. Over the summer I found a cool app called Project Color, which allows me to pick a color and it shows you on your phone what the color would look like on the wall that you aim it at. This helps me show what a wall would look like before I paint it. Using technology to learn is great because you have some of the best resources there are right at your fingertips. My favorite tech tip that I use on my Aac is hitting shift command 3 or 4 to take a screenshot of what’s on your screen. Other than technology my other interests are math. Outside of the classroom I play lacrosse and work. After high school I am going to go to college to become a mechanical engineer. You can reach me at my twitter, @dboermeester5. A random fact about me is that I can rebuild engines and fix broken iPhones.
Joe Kim
Hello! My name is Joe Kim and I am currently a senior at Burlington High School working at Help Desk for the first time this year in second period. A self-proclaimed tech-geek, I’m happy to help you with any problems that you may have with your device(s)! I am very well-informed and experienced in using computers, laptops and tablets, with a passion to see how they work from the inside out. I personally like to stay up-to-date with the liberality that technology has to offer to us not only as students but people as well. At Burlington High, I have had the opportunity to learn a lot within BHS by implementing technology into my academics which not only make learning easier by using various apps and finding new ways to present my work, but it also gave me a true understanding on how today’s technology can truly become an advantage even in the real world on a 1:1 basis. As a three-season athlete I also participate in Red Devils football as a lineman as well as in winter and spring track as a thrower. Outside of school I have a strong passion for music and play a variety of instruments on my own time. As a senior looking ahead, I plan to go to college after graduating, looking at places like UMASS and Wentworth Institute of Technology. I have my mindset on what I would like to do later in my life which would be computer engineering/programming/software engineering. In my free time I like to spend time making videos using Adobe apps as well as creating/composing music in various D.A.Ws (Digital Audio Workstations). I really look forward to helping you all with any problems you have! Follow me on @joekimbps!
Kevin Lynch 
My name is Kevin Lynch and I am currently a junior at BHS. This is my first year of Help Desk and I work the Help Desk during second period. I joined Help Desk to help my peers with technology problems that are becoming more frequent due to the amount of technology Burlington High has integrated and to also further my knowledge of technology. In past years I have worked with my father, who is a computer technician, on many of his jobs fixing computers for his work and on the side. I specialize in cleaning computers and making them run faster. I also specialize in troubleshooting Apple products. Some applications that I would recommend for school are Notability, and Evernote. Burlington introducing iPads to our school has opened a doorway to faster and more efficient work. Teachers can send out notices or documents to a whole class in one touch. iPads have given students a more personal and organized approach to doing homework, classwork, or even projects. Technology helps me learn because so much information is at your fingertips. This means that accessing the internet or email is less than a minute away, so you can power through your class assignments. My favorite subjects in school are science and math. I am striving to go to college and major in either engineering or business. My two top choices for coleges are UMass Lowell and UMass Amherst. I also play baseball for Burlington’s Junior Varsity team, where I play the “hot corner” at third. I can paddle board surf and crack a good joke!
Josh Boulos
Hey! My name is Josh Boulos. I am a current senior at Burlington High School and this is my first year at Help Desk. I will be a four year varsity player for both golf and hockey this year and also work a couple jobs off to the side. My favorite app would probably be “Waze” navigation. This app has helped me avoid so much traffic and save a lot of time ever since I got it. The best tech trick that I love using is simply the “slide to reply” when I receive a message on my lock screen of my iPhone. This saves me the time of opening my iPhone and going through the process of typing my passcode and then typing a message. One of my interests for the future is to become a computer engineer which is a very successful field and a business that will never die because of the growth of technology in our society.I joined Help Desk so that I could assist Burlington High School students with their technological needs. I enjoy troubleshooting with the iPads and MacBooks here at the high school and love assessing problems then figuring out how to solve them. Over the last three years of being so technology based at the high school, I believe that I have become very good at dealing with technology issues because of the experiences I have had. The iPads at Burlington High School have been a big help in my high school experience and have taught me so many new ways to keep organized which I believe is one of the most important keys to being successful. My goal for the class this year is to develop new skills with the devices that we use and also to be able to solve more issues when it comes to Ipads and Macbooks. I hope to be a valauble asset to the students with issues in Period 5 at BHS!
Noel Goulette
Hello, I’m Noel Goulette. I’m a freshmen and this is my first year in the Help Desk. I will be working period 4. I worked at the Help Desk in middle school for a year. I joined the Help Desk to help others understand their technology and to help explore. I’m best using computers, iPads, iPhones, Androids, and other devices. I love using Facebook, Snapchat, and Netflix. I love using Chrome, Google, and Google Docs to better understand subjects for school and other learning experiences. My favorite tip for the iPhone is that you can share photos through iCloud so when you need to have a photo from your iPad to your phone you just need to go through iCloud and share. I love to play and watch hockey and soccer. I’m joining the hockey team this winter and I’m thinking about joining a few clubs at Burlington High School. Bring Me the Horizon, Falling in Reverse, Pierce the Veil are my favorite bands. I’m called “Skittles” because of my blue and purple hair. I plan on going to a college after high school for business and marketing. I’m very spontaneous and in the moment.
Please drop by the Help Desk and meet this year’s Help Desk staff! Students are also available for classroom demonstrations and training sessions of iPad apps and the BHS foundational Google Apps for Education!
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