Here at Pelham, technology is essential to the academic lives of the students, teachers and administrators. When things go wrong all eyes turn to the Technology Department. This year, Pelham has a new Director of Technology: Mr. Joseph Catania. Mr. Catania assumed his position on July 1 after former director, Mr. Tromblee’s departure last spring. Before coming to Pelham, Mr. Catania was a teacher and administrator at Newburgh Enlarged City School District in Newburgh NY.

Mr. Catania has already made his mark on PMHS’ technology by introducing the
Chromebook launchpad. This interface allows users to log into their Google account once, eliminating the need to re-enter a password to access several applications, including Castle Learning, Google Classroom and IXL.

“The whole goal is to create a unified platform so that all digital tools you have access to are right there,” said Mr. Catania.

Mr. Catania also has several new programs in the works for the future. These include a “9-1-1” project, allowing emergency responders to pinpoint the exact location of a phone call from the school, as well as an online Chromebook form to reduce waits in line at the start of next year. He is also planning on adding a guest wi-fi network within the next month.

Mr. Catania oversees technology for the entire district, supported by a staff of three Pelham employees as well as a part-time Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) staff. BOCES is a New York program to help technology departments in school districts all around the state.

“Students should have the opportunity to collaborate and communicate with each other,” Catania said. “The place of technology in education is to help enhance teaching and make it more engaging and interesting to students.”