Twitter keeps HEHS informed

Hoffman Estates High School has gone digital this year by implementing Twitter use throughout the entire school. Teachers, administrators, and club sponsors are joining coaches and students on the Twitter frenzy to tweet out news and information.

“I love this school. I think it’s a great school. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” said Assistant Principal Josh Schumacher. “I want to see all the good things that are happening here at Hoffman because I think there’s a ton of good things, whether it’s in the classroom, or on the field during activities, or whatever. So knowing that, I want to get information out there.”

This is the first year that the Hoffman administration has pushed the use of Twitter to send out school updates and information with the goal of utilizing technology and its benefits to their full advantage. With the recent implementation of the One-to-One program giving every student and teacher an iPad, everybody has easy access to the Internet and to his or her Twitter accounts.

Tanya Katovich, HEHS sophomore and AP chemistry teacher, is a long-time Twitter user. Katovich tweets out pictures of her students performing labs in class and informs other students and colleagues of hers of what’s going on in her chemistry classes and of valuable facts of the world of chemistry.

“I check Twitter at least once a day. I also try and tweet something once a school day,” says Katovich. Twitter is an instantaneous way of sending out any pictures and updates. Followers of the tweeter are able to see tweets the second the Tweet button is pressed.

“Twitter keeps me up to date with info because, to be honest, I spend a lot of time on Twitter. Also, if I’m not following a certain Hoffman account, there’s bound to be someone to retweet it for me to see, ” said Marielle Lugo, a senior at HEHS. “I’d say 90% or more of HEHS students have a Twitter, so it’s an effective way to spread the word.”

In a school of almost 2,000 students, information is easily passed around on Twitter. Twitter users can easily find out the final score of the last football game or find out the next meeting date of your favorite club.

“I’ll retweet school info if I think it’s exciting and if it’s interesting for students, parents, and people in the community to know. Also, Twitter is my way of reaching out to chemistry teachers around the country,” said Katovich.

The more followers an account has, the more retweets there will be. There will always be a piece of news that somebody finds interesting. The exponential spreading of tweets is beneficial to the spreading of important and interesting school news. One simple tweet can spread to the feed of millions of people.

Twitter is a great way to be connected not only among students but also with parents, the surrounding community, and even communities of other schools in and out of the state.

“My goal is to get as many students and as many parents on it, as well as many alumni and community members,” said Schumacher. “Right now we have parents, students, plus all that. I would like to see that be a way that everyone involved in our school can stay up to date on what’s going on here. I would like to expand it as much as possible.”