For the first time in the history of Southfield Public Schools, all freshmen have been issued their own Chromebook computers to use for the school year.
The Chromebooks are supposed to help freshmen improve in their studies and feel more at ease in high school, said Assistant Principal Scott Tocco.
The Chromebooks are also like a textbook for freshmen, Tocco said, because most of the schools course books are online.
Students will be required to return the Chromebooks at the end of the year and must pay $250 to replace them if they are lost, Tocco said. Parents of freshmen were invited to attend a meeting about the Chromebooks in September to clarify expectations for the computers.
“I dislike when someone hands me papers,” said Assistant Principal Vernon Burden. “I haven’t used paper in three years.” The Chromebooks are a more modern approach to learning, Burden said.
Freshman Counselor Danielle Green said the freshmen needed the Chromebooks the most because there are no computer labs in the freshman wing of the school.
Freshman Jordan Samuel said he was happy to have a Chromebook but thinks all students need one. “These Chromebooks will improve our studies,” Samuel said.
Senior Diamond Samuels said it’s a good idea to give freshmen a computer “but it’s not good to take it home; they might break it.”
The senior said she would like a Chromebook, too: “If the upperclassmen were given Chromebooks, our homework and projects would be done much faster.”