When technology works, no one notices. When it doesn’t, everyone does. At Pinewood, keeping hundreds of devices, networks, and systems running smoothly falls to a small IT team, led by Bill Bates, director of technology.
While the campus is still quiet, Pinewood’s IT team is already at work, checking IT help requests from students and faculty through a ticketing system called HappyFox.
“This is what we live in all day,” Bates said, pointing to the computer.
When students email [email protected] or faculty contact [email protected], their messages don’t flood inboxes. Instead, they go through an automated system where they are logged and categorized.
Throughout the day, many requests involve printer malfunctions or network slowdowns. While students often blame the Wi-Fi when something loads slowly, network issues are rarely that simple.
“Everybody always says it’s the Wi-Fi,” Bates said. “It’s not that it can’t be, but most of the time it’s something else.”
Earlier this year, Pinewood experienced noticeable slowdowns, especially during the first few minutes of class when all students connected at once. After months of investigation and coordination with internet providers, the IT department identified limited bandwidth as the cause. In December, Pinewood’s bandwidth doubled, and the issue disappeared.
Much of the IT team’s work happens behind the scenes, especially over the summer. During those months, the team installs applications, resets devices, and prepares hundreds of iPads and laptops for the new school year.
“There’s probably four or 500 iPads that we deal with over the course of the few months in summer,” Bates said.
While they use a management system called Jamf, it cannot handle everything. This leads to the IT department needing to do a lot of the work physically themselves.
Preparation becomes a massive operation.
Not every technology challenge is predictable. One of the most chaotic moments came during a PSAT administration when a recent iOS update prevented students from accessing the testing app. Bates was out of town and K-12 Technology Specialist Sean Clark was managing everything on his own. During that time, Clark had just started his position at Pinewood.
“No one could open Blue Book,” Clark said. “I think there was a point where there were like 20 kids in this small tech office.”
With dozens of students crowding the tech office, Clark improvised by distributing older iPads from the previous year.
“That was a stressful day,” Clark said. “I didn’t know what was going on.”
Other incidents have been even stranger, including a cracked fish tank that flooded nearby rooms and internet interference traced back to a neighbor’s Wi-Fi-enabled car.
Looking ahead, Pinewood’s upcoming campus renovations promise major improvements. New classrooms will feature modern electrical systems, reliable connectivity, and updated technology infrastructure.
From early morning system checks to summer device preparation and long-term planning, Pinewood’s IT team ensures the school runs smoothly — even when no one notices.
