High school district to upgrade Web site

The Valley Stream Central High School District will launch its new interactive Web site next week, officials said, and the new site will feature more pictures of students, have downloadable forms, and offer access to assignments for students who are absent.

“We didn’t just want to translate the site,” said Frank Morisco, director of administrative and instructional technology. “We wanted to make it more search friendly. That was the intent of the design.”

Morisco said he started researching new designs for the 7-year old Web site in March. He examined other districts’ sites, how they relayed information and how user friendly they were. Armed with that information, Morisco, along with technical aide Sean McQuillan, developed the site in eight months. “My goal was to create a new Web site that would better assist the district in both presenting new information and showcasing the many proud moments exhibited by our students.”

Morisco said the biggest difference between the old site and the new one is the graphics and the style of presentation. The old site used a “button” access that was popular during the earlier part of the decade, he said. The new site showcases rotating pictures of students participating in sports, clubs and other school functions. He noted that he hopes to add video to the site — like band and orchestra concerts — as well as post club schedules.

Superintendent Dr. Marc Bernstein’s assistant, Robin Rabie, helped Morisco update the old and new site. She said the new one is vastly superior to its predecessor. “It’s much more modern,” Rabie said. “It’s just easier to navigate and find things.”

The new site will serve as the main online source of information for the school-related community, Morisco said. Students will find course and guidance information, as well as study resources and tips, Morisco noted. “Parents and community members will find that the site is a primary source for district information that varies from district news to the all-important lunch menu,” he said.

The site will also have times for school events and emergency school closing announcements. It was also designed to be viewable in a wide-range of display screen formats including smart phones. “This site sets a new and wider horizon in communicating with our educational community,” Morisco said.

A demo of the new site may be viewed at www.vssite.org.