JC switches to Veracross
The homepage of the student’s Veracross website includes a class list, calendar and messages from teachers. According to Vice Principal of Student Affairs and Technology Brian Powell, this tool will be very useful for helping students stay organized throughout the school year.
Veracross, a School Information System (SIS), has replaced four separate databases for faculty, student, parent and alumni information. Over the summer and during the first weeks of school, administration and teachers have been working to make the transition as smooth as possible.
“In the previous system none of [the four different databases] spoke to each other,” Vice Principal of Student Affairs and Technology Brian Powell said. “If a student switched addresses, the administration would have to copy the new address over to two or three systems. There could be typing mistakes,” Powell said. According to Powell, Veracross lessens the likelihood of errors and streamlines the process of storing, accessing and utilizing information.
As part of the transition to Veracross, the old data bases, such as Powerschool, were shut down. Powerschool in particular had been in use for 12 years prior to the change. Some students have voiced issues switching to the new system. “It’s very complicated to navigate,” senior Hayden Delpi said.
Veracross is set up differently than the Sharepoint and Edmodo teacher websites were. “I like it, but it’s confusing trying to reach the teachers on it and it seems that some of [the teachers] are confused with it,” freshman Marissa Munson said.
Chemistry teacher Shane Lawler has not yet switched to Veracross. “I think Veracross has a lot of potential. I don’t want to make the switch until I am completely comfortable– for the student’s benefit,” Lawler said. Other teachers have already made the switch to Veracross, despite the option to remain on their old sites for one more year.
“I’m cautiously optimistic. It seems like a good thing but there seem to be a few stitches that make it somewhat worse but overall it’s better that it’s one site,” junior Darius Pirozzi said.
Powell believes that Veracross, particularly the calendar feature, could prove to be a very powerful tool for students to stay organized.
“Use it, don’t ignore it,” Powell said.
Kelly Foulk is a News Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.
