Many activities occur during just one day at DePaul Prep. Some of these include classes, events, meetings, masses, and sports events. Since students and staff used to these events being a part of their daily routines, many of the individuals that allow for them to happen go unnoticed. A key figure in the DePaul Prep community that facilitates almost everything that goes on is technology specialist, Mr. Olszewski.

In an interview with Mr. Olszewski, more was able to be learned about all of the hard work he puts into making sure that our days at school run smoothly. Without him, none of the technology we take for granted would be accessible. 

We asked about Olszewski’s usual day at DePaul Prep. “Some mornings are nice and quiet. We come in and check the internet to make sure things are working. We check in with teachers to see if there are any events and if they have everything they need. Some mornings we walk in and everything is on fire. It really just depends on the day, depending on what events we have going on and how well the technology wants to behave.”

What many tend to forget is that a lot of technology is used in even the most minimal parts of our day. Without the work of Olszewski and the technology department, even an internet connection would be unlikely. 

Olszewski shared more about what the technology department does. “A lot. Anything from the projector and the software that the teachers use to helping with big events that use microphones and cords. We make sure that the tech is good for teachers and that students can access all of their books online.” 

Despite helping with so much, Mr. Olszewski’s job includes more than taking on physical tasks. 

“The most rewarding part of my job is honesty seeing the teachers get to use the technology to teach. Some of the schools I worked at previously were schools that were pretty underfunded, so a lot of times they didn’t really have the technology to be able to teach at the level they wanted to. It’s fun for me to watch teachers teach and interact with you guys using the technology.”

DePaul Prep is a technologically advanced school in contrast with many schools in Chicago. While this is something for us all to be thankful for in many different ways, it wouldn’t be possible without the brains of the Mr. Olszewski and the technology department. 

“I enjoy that everyday is something different. For a lot of IT jobs, you show up and you’re doing the same thing everyday. Honestly, working in a high school, you get to interact with a lot of different people. I enjoy that quite a bit,” Olszewski added. 

To wrap up the interview, Olszewski shared some interesting facts about himself. These include reading lots of sci-fi and fantasy books, being a part of theater productions in high school, as well as being a big Chicago sports fan!

When asked if there was anything else he’d like to share, Olszewski brought up one thing.

“We don’t block all the games and videos because we are trying to be mean. We have state regulations we have to follow, so there’s a certain level of blocking that we have to use. I was definitely a student who would’ve also loved those distractions if I had them. It isn’t just being mean, we have reasons we have to do that type of stuff.”

Mr. Olszewski’s importance in the DePaul Prep community is something that cannot be doubted, especially after learning so much about him in this interview. Next time there is a large event or you are using a projector in class, remember how much effort is put in by him and the others of the technology department is put into making sure that you can be successful!

This feature is the first in the yearlong “Making DePaul Prep Work” Series.