IT Staff Appreciation
We often think of our teachers and staff as the backbone of our district and continuously thank them for their service; however, we fail to recognize those who really are the backbone of our district—especially in the digital age. Working in Calloway’s IT department, Michael Haven is responsible for keeping the entire district secure and working correctly. Yes, you read that right, the entire district. Every day (which he has labeled as “intense”), Haven begins his job at 4:30 A.M. and typically ends at 6 P.M. During this time, he is inundated with meetings, isolated issues with equipment, and vendor meetings.
When he is not fixing equipment, Haven is learning from it. The technician explains that “in technology, you never have all the answers, and it is constantly evolving, whether through books, blogs, or documentation, you must learn. If you do not, you are already behind.” As mentioned before, Mr. Haven (who has been in the tech business for twenty years) is responsible for the district’s cybersecurity. Such a job primarily consists of monitoring the identities of users and their data, which can be at risk of theft. One of the ways Haven keeps our accounts protected is with multi-factor authentication. In fact, Calloway was—if not the earliest—one of the earliest implementors of this authentication system in the entire state of Kentucky.
Understandably, Haven has described his work as “intense,” and constantly feels the stress form work weighing down on him. He does not back down from the workload though, as he explains, “I think what motivates me though is that I love to learn. You must constantly be learning in this environment, or you will not make it. IT is a huge pie, and every piece of the pie is something we must be good at. The best way I learn is by breaking things, and I can learn how to fix things after breaking them.”
As Haven is consistently learning, he must meticulously follow the way technology and its assets are evolving. Describing the future’s potential changes as transferring to a more “wireless sphere,” he emphasizes that IT is not a one-person job. Aside from advocating for countrywide internet access, Haven stresses, “I would love for all younger people who are interested in technology to get involved. We are just normal people trying to chug along every day and have fun while doing it.”
On behalf of The Laker Review, we want to thank everyone in the IT department for their services. To Chief Information Officer Caleb Reinhardt, Technical Support Manger Michael Haven, Eric Payton, and Patrick Kilby; we are extremely grateful for all that you do to allow CCHS students to be learners for life.
