The new Page app has made its debut at Page High School, and the students and staff have mixed opinions on it. Is it helpful? Is it annoying? The app was made to make the lives of the pirates easier and while some find it “helpful and adaptable”, others find it “unnecessary and extra.” One student even said, “I don’t see this being a good thing.” The Page app has many features including electronic bathroom passes that make it more efficient for both the student and the teacher. It also incorporates ways for students to get alerts- not only from their teachers, but school wide information that makes it easier for everyone to be informed. In addition the app allows easy access to parent resources, Here Comes the Bus information, and things as simple as the bell and lunch schedule.

It’s safe to say the app has many benefits, but that does not mean every pirate at Page finds it advantageous. Some students did not even bother to add the app. Another occurring problem that has seemed to strike many students is that when they log in, they claim it won’t let them reach the site. “I’m not able to get in and I’ve tried so many times,” one student said. I asked a couple kids in my class what their thoughts were on it and their answers varied. A handful said they found it helpful. Ariana said, “If we miss our news and meetings or things going on, we can just go to the Page app, and it will tell us.” Another student even mentioned how they think the bathroom passes are an “amazing advantage” that definitely make it easier for everyone to use the bathroom more efficiently. Furthermore there were some students that found the app “somewhat accommodating” but still think parts of the app are “redundant.” Destiny is one of these. She said “It can be helpful, but we should not have to use the app as a bathroom pass. Paper would be so much easier” There were also lots of other students that had the same thoughts as Destiny on the bathroom passes. In fact, when I interviewed students, the bathroom passes seemed to be the repeating topic that people mentioned. So is the bathroom pass really altering the flow of the bathroom using process? Well, at least something other than fires are causing attention to our schools bathrooms.

Now the teachers had a bit of a different outlook on the app and how they think it affects our school. When I asked Mrs. Wright about her thoughts on it, she said “I don’t think the app has any weaknesses.” She also mentioned the hall pass feature, but unlike the students, Mrs. Wright thought of the passes as “dope”. The passes were made for the usage of the bathrooms to be more systematic, although it has raised some eyebrows of the students at Page, the faculty seem to find it very obliging. Mrs. O’Connell, another teacher here, shared some of her thoughts on the app as well. “I think our schools needed it. We have been with just paper and pen for so long that I think it’s finally time to embrace technology.” Mrs. O’Connell also mentioned how she thinks, “it’s more beneficial for the student,” and not the teacher. “It makes it easier for the student trying to use the bathroom to get in
and out quicker.”

It seems there have been many different notions made up about the app. So the question is, has it been welcomed with opened arms here at Page or has it made an impression causing it to walk the plank?