District 220 names administrators for laptop program

The Barrington Unit School District 220 school board approved changes to a pair of district administrator positions Tuesday night in advance of the one-to-world laptop program that will put a computer in the hands of every Barrington High School student in the fall.

At the board's public meeting Tuesday night they introduced Matt Fuller as chief technology officer and Ty Gorman as the associate principal for curriculum and instructional technology at Barrington High School.

According to district spokesman Jeff Arnett, the positions were modified by the board to help support the district's laptop program.

Fuller, who has 15 years of experience in working as the director of technology for school districts around the suburbs, said he is excited to work with the laptop program.

Fuller said he looks forward to helping teachers, parents and students move to the digital learning environment.

“In order for technology to be effective it needs to be infused into the curriculum and the culture of a school district,” Fuller said. “The whole learning community needs to buy in to the new technology.”

Gorman, who has worked at Barrington High School for 19 years as a social studies teacher and then department chairman, said modern technology offers students unprecedented access to knowledge, which changes the role of educators.

“While teachers are still the experts, the teacher now must act more as a facilitator to knowledge,” Gorman said.

Gorman said teaching students to use technology helps them to think on their feet and work collaboratively, traits that he said are desirable to future employers.

The board also announced two other new administrative hires. Ninja Nagel was introduced as a new associate principal at Barrington High. Nagel was previously the district's world languages department chairman.

Teresa Reiche was introduced as the district's new director of human resources and administrative services. Reiche spent the last four years as the assistant principal at Stuart R. Paddock Elementary School in Palatine.