In the classrooms of La Salle, technology is everywhere. From interactive touch screen displays to school-supplied iPads and wireless projection, La Salle is striving to keep up with the demands of 21st-century education.

While many people have been involved in this technological integration, few have played a bigger role in recent years than IT/IS Operations Director Mr. Tad Shaw and IT/IS Systems Administrator Mr. Scott Hanawalt.

Together they have worked to help the school navigate changing technological currents, and most recently, the dangers and opportunities presented by AI.

But their shared interest in technology and problem-solving started way earlier than La Salle. 

“I learned how to put computers together at a young age, [then] take them apart,” Mr. Shaw said. “My first computer, it was the simplest machine compared to what we have today.”

In fact, it was around those first computers that Mr. Hanawalt and Mr. Shaw’s friendship began. 

“I’ve actually known Mr. Shaw for a really long time,” Mr. Hawawalt said. “Back in the ‘90s, we got our first computers together, and so we learned computers together and shared what we’d learned.”

Before working at La Salle, Mr. Shaw used his passion for technology at a nonprofit eye donation and transplant organization called Visiongift.

“I worked on databases,” he said “I ran their network and stuff like that.”

This was among the jobs that he said taught him the fundamental skills he continues to use every day, such as database management and IP addressing. According to Mr. Shaw, because there were no specific IT classes when he attended college, all of his expertise comes from “on-the-job” experience, and he continues learning new things about his profession today. 

“I’m constantly gathering other information because I wasn’t ever classically trained,” he said.

And now working at La Salle for the past five years with Mr. Hanawalt, his passion still persists. 

“I love it here,” Mr. Shaw said. “This is just my thing.”

He said his job can be encompassed by four words: “Security, capacity, reliability, and training.”

Mr. Hanawalt is similarly appreciative of his job. 

“It’s very unique from anywhere I’ve worked,” he said. “It’s a very supportive environment. I’ve never worked anywhere where I have not had at least some tension from coworkers.”

And while Mr. Hanawalt and Mr. Shaw work on related projects in the school, Mr. Hanawalt sees their jobs more as two sides of the same coin, noting that Mr. Shaw does most of the class-to-class assistance, while he himself works primarily on the programming, and networking aspects of the job. 

“He likes the management stuff,” Mr. Hanawalt said. “I just like to do my job and not have to write reports about it.” 

Keeping La Salle secure from digital threats is vital to both their jobs, especially protecting the school from those on the internet who might try to gain access to sensitive school data. Through reinforced firewalls and protective Wi-Fi capabilities, they work to keep the school’s information safe, he said.

“How can a bad actor using AI not infiltrate the school’s network?” Mr. Shaw said. “I try to figure out how we can block them.”

At the same time, AI can also be helpful in diagnosing problems and expediting tasks, he said, but it’s still crucial to not misrepresent one’s abilities by taking credit for AI’s work. 

Mr. Hanawalt agreed, but also emphasized the limitations AI still possesses, especially since, in his experience, it often offers outdated solutions as technology continues to evolve. 

Each year, both of them take on a variety of tasks, big and small.

Recently, Mr. Shaw has been working to get internet coverage for La Salle’s baseball and softball fields, which could help facilitate everything from computers at the concession stand to live recordings of games, he said.

At the same time, over his four years at La Salle, Mr. Hanawalt has facilitated other aspects of the school’s technological suite.

“I do the IT stuff, try to keep all the technology working [such as] projectors and sound for assemblies,” he said. “[I have also] done some work on the phones, mostly on the voicemail and that end of it.”

Additionally, they have both recently helped implement the new iPad policy by providing incoming students with school-managed iPads — a change which also makes helping students easier, given that their iPads are now managed by the school and standardized.

Especially given the prevalence of tech across campus, day-to-day maintenance and routine checkups are essential. With help from a new request-based system, Mr. Shaw is able to go to classrooms and offices around the school to assist with issues ranging from a dust-clogged projector to a computer that won’t turn on.

“I like to go to teachers’ classrooms,” he said. “I like to help them get their equipment moving.”

Mr. Hanawalt said his work is never boring given the uncertainty that comes with his job.

“I actually like the fact that my day is not the same every day — that there’s lots of different things to go wrong and different things to be working on,” he said. “Some days we’ll go through those things pretty quickly and get a lot accomplished, and some days, it’s a lot of struggling, trying to find the answer to solve the problem.”

While La Salle’s IT department isn’t on the scale of some public schools that may have more funding for robust IT departments, Mr. Shaw said La Salle stands out due to the 10G Wi-Fi infrastructure it has throughout the school, as well as the in-person service they can offer. 

“I would like to think that we bring a more personalized service … to our teachers and our students,” he said. “I think we’re more available and accessible.”

With this personalized service comes a higher demand for the two throughout each day. 

“We have a large need for customer service,” Mr. Shaw said. “Between [Mr. Hanawalt] and myself, we spend at least half the time out.”

Mr. Hanawalt said he enjoys the positive community and the opportunities for problem solving his job offers. 

“I’ve never been so happy with a job,” he said.