Students, parents and community members now have the option to check live updates on high school sports, events, notifications and alerts — all from their smart phone or computer.
Joe Sample, vice principal at Iola High School, has implemented an official Twitter account for the school. He said the goal of the new account is to improve communication and transparency between the faculty, staff, its students and the community.
“We want to have more of a presence in the community,” Sample said, “and also celebrate unique things in the school.”
The account, @iolahighschool, will be useful especially for people who are on the go with their smart phone, Sample said. Students and parents will be able to check weather updates and even possible emergency alerts in seconds with the Twitter app.
He said several other schools, such a Wellsville and Central Heights, have been using their Twitter accounts frequently, and Iola decided to give the new method a chance. He said it gives the high school the option to present “real-time information,” which hasn’t always been possible in the past.
The account has already been utilized for high school sports and to show special events occurring within the school.
Sample said it’s important for people to see what is happening with students and events, which is not always easy to see.
“Parents don’t always see what it’s like in the school, and we want to help change that,” he said.
There is currently a twitter “widget” on the home page of the Iola High School website, where people can already check live updates, he said. People have the option to sign up for a free Twitter account online, at twitter.com, which would enable them to receive updates from their personal computer or smart phone.
Sample said he encourages people to sign up for the account, because it will only help add to the support from the community to the school, and vice versa.
“Twitter seems to be the preferred method for many people these days,” Sample said. “We are really trying to improve communication between the school and the community.”
School opens Twitter account
