Liberty showcases tech program

Liberty High School's May technology showcase was more than a chance to see the extraordinary work of the school's technology students. It was a trip down memory lane for 1994 LHS graduate, Brady Wildermuth. Wildermuth, now a Microsoft employee told school board member Connie Fletcher that his tech experiences at Liberty in the Technology Information Project (TIP) were the most valuable training he received in his professional career, providing him an opportunity to solve problems by whatever means possible.

TIP instructor Susan Canaga noted, "Advanced students are still encouraged to research and discover answers on their own, although the program has changed somewhat from the early years. Today's security needs and state and federal regulations about student internet access have made the program different, but no less effective as a training program for tomorrow's technology leaders." TIP students on the Liberty help desk provide first level tech support and work with the Tech Specialist to provide assistance on more complex problems. Other students are working on projects that serve the school or community in some way.

Visitors to the May showcase saw web development projects where Liberty TIP students created sites for external clients such as the Issaquah Schools Foundation and the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce. They also saw the collaborative work of TIP and physics students. The Cluster Computer Project is a joint effort of Mark Buchli's physics students, TIP and researchers at University of Washington. Students merge their physics knowledge and computing skills to track and gather data that helps UW researchers understand energy that bombards the earth.