A major point in the criticism of Freedom High School is the prevalent technological issues that abound within the tile walls. On more than one occasion the hallways resonate with cries of frustration due to Internet failure. With so much classroom curriculum being dependent on Internet, vexation tends to take root. “It’s awful being in the ‘most technological school in the county,’ only to find out once we get to school, that we can’t do a lesson plan because we have no way to research things without the internet,” Senior Brandon Bionda said. According to the Director of Technology, Mr. Matt Scala, much of the problem comes from the fundamental setup of the wireless system. Our current system is a “flat network,” Scala said. “There are no segments on our network or ‘Virtual LANs.’” This lack of alternate segments means that one issue in the system can have a detrimental effect on the entire network. The concept is similar to Christmas tree lights, where an entire strand can go dark from the loss of one miniscule bulb. Thankfully, on Feb. 14, the school board approved the use of funds for our technology crisis. The quantity approved to be used is $145,000. This money should be able to replace, refurbish and enhance the overall quality of the wireless Internet at the high school. Assigned to the task is Scala, the district’s vendor and technology consulting company, Communications Consulting Incorporated (CCI). This group has designed a comprehensive strategy to attack the dilemma. “The funds that the board approved would replace all the core network equipment; this [includes] all the core data switches and wireless access points,” Scala said. “We would also be adding a centralized wireless controller and district firewall device which…protects us from outside intrusion and incoming virus attacks.” This is all good news since all of the outdated equipment that is partially responsible for our troubles will be dealt with easily. Also the new equipment packs refined storage such as 10GB speed. The addition is “so the ‘pipes’ that carry information from location to location will be able to hold ten times the amount of data,” Scala said. Besides actually improving the Internet itself, Scala hopes to avoid any unnecessary future spending. “We made sure when evaluating equipment and network designs that the new equipment is modular so that it can be upgraded and extended without purchasing all new equipment,” Scala said. By making this choice, the school will hopefully be revamping the system for the last time. After the new equipment is installed, it will be monitored and maintained by Scala. “You want a system you can manage yourself or else you will be forever outsourcing to maintain it,” Scala said.