Technology issues with Olathe West may hinder other schools’ chances of laptops; meanwhile, administrators also addressed many rumors about Olathe West.

The Olathe School District has been making strides for the 1:1 initiative, which is issuing students and teachers individual laptops/iPads. Olathe West was the first of the high schools to experience this action, but glitches with the Arrowhive network have postponed the process for the other schools.

“There was an update in late August, but a glitch occurred making some devices that originally connected to the network not able to. This pushed back the date of teachers and students receiving laptops,” Josh Anderson, executive director of technology, said.

Technicians from California are scheduled to come out and fix this glitch. If they are successful, Olathe South will most likely receive laptops next year.

“I’m excited to put technology in the hands of all of the students and teachers; I think this will work out great,” Anderson said.

Along with technological difficulties, Megan Black, Olathe West assistant principal, addressed the rumors regarding the school’s student misconduct.

Olathe West was the original school to have its Power50 (50 min. lunch period) suspended.

“Power50 we learned was not effective. At one point in time, we felt that students were not utilizing the time for academic reasons as we would have liked, so we refocused for a few days by changing Power50 to a lunch and advisory time where students had a quiet study hall for half of Power50,” Black said.

So, rumors going around Olathe South have not been entirely correct.

“On a rare occasion, at any given high school, some intense misbehaviors can and do occur,” Black said.

Fighting throughout the school has been reported, but West’s administration feels as though it has been overdramatized at the other Olathe schools.

“As with fighting, this is not something unique to Olathe West, and just like the administration at all five high schools, we respond to those incidents like we would any other time. Safety is our main priority, and just like all Olathe high schools, we must respond to those situations as they happen,” Black said.

Rumors making their way through the halls here and potentially at other Olathe schools may have been blown out of proportion.

Olathe West has surely had its ups and downs throughout the year, but its administration is thrilled and determined to make this year and the years to come great.

“Building a brand new high school from the ground up definitely has challenges such as setting, but I think our biggest success so far has come with the fact that our faculty and staff have embraced the challenges and aren’t afraid to take them head on. It has been a pleasure to see students rise to the occasion, and I have personally loved every second of it,” Black said.