Telephone System Upgrade

A new IP phone system has replaced the digital telephone system on campus this summer.  The technology team replaced more than 120 physical phones and gathered the old phones for recycling.  We added more direct dial extensions and upgraded the voicemail system.

Naming Technology Devices

One facet of renaming buildings at Blair involves updating the many systems on campus to appropriately reflect the new name.  The technology team manages information and systems dynamically to try to reflect the real-world changes which happen every year on our campus.  The recent name update of the Chiang-Elghanayan Center prompted such attention.  Network technology devices which required changes included the wireless access points, Chromecast devices, switches, projectors, DNS names for door locks, and HVAC controllers.  Blair's information systems, which include building names, also needed to be tweaked.  

Bogle Renovations for 2019-2020

Blair Academy's recent renovation of Bogle Hall includes a three-story addition with new classrooms, labs, dedicated research space for long-term projects, and upgrades to legacy spaces such as existing classrooms, labs, and Cowan Auditorium.  The technology team's work on the wiring, infrastructure, internet access points, and classroom AV systems contributed to a successful opening of the building in time for the start of the 2019-2020 school year.

Read more about the renovation project at this link:  https://www.blair.edu/support-blair/forward-thinking-campaign/bogle-hall

You can see a walk-through of the renovations by playing the video below:

Registration Days Baseline Concussion Test

Opening of school registration is a busy time for our students and families.  Each year, registration includes completion of a baseline test as part of a comprehensive approach to student athlete concussion care.  The test occurs online either at home before the student's arrival to campus or in a computer lab on registration days.  The technology team partners with the Health Center to ensure all our students complete this testing before their first team practices.

Cybersecurity at Blair

The cyber-security needs of Blair's community continue to be a top priority of the technology office.  Safety measures have already included decommissioning physical servers, enforcing drive encryption on employee laptops, and providing antivirus and malware protection campus-wide.  More recently, technology team members have also worked together to enforce multi-factor authentication, give cyber-security presentations to faculty and staff, sponsor a Skeptics talk by a cyber-security expert, provide dedicated training opportunities, and reduce potential network vulnerabilities.

Electronic Report Cards Six Years Later

Reports cards were emailed to parents for the first time in 2013 after final exams.  You can reminisce by reading the blog post here.  At that time, the technology office was just starting a long term process of reducing physical paper mailings and creating a more efficient process for getting grades out to parents.  Since then, the school has not only streamlined report cards, but also the application process, enrollment, re-enrollment, health forms, and more have gone to being mostly paperless.