AHS juniors Alexander Maron and James Mellenthin were granted funding from the school district to purchase twelve Oculus headsets. They are both students in Diane Godfrey’s project management class, a class based around making changes and personalizing the school environment for students. Maron and Mellenthin observed that advanced technology was not being used in classrooms, other than smart boards and personal computers.

As a technological orientated generation, students have been exposed to opportunities similar to virtual reality through social media and even 4D theaters. These students have been the first to push for more technology in at AHS. Their first step to progressing the school was starting a VR club for students to meet two Fridays every month during lunch. Participants have the ability to learn how to use the headsets and pick from a variety of games.VR has evolved and become more than just immersive video games. The programs now can allow students to learn through immersive experiences.

“One of the apps can put you on a bus in the middle of Japan, and have you figure out a scenario while speaking Japanese, it’s really good practice for people trying to learn languages,” Maron said.

The big question is whether technology will continue to take over school in a positive way.

“VR is gonna be the future, personally, I wanted to get involved with the technology early on because I know it will be a part of the rest of my life,” said Mellenthin.

As for advancements, the students will be hosting a school wide “Beat Sabor” tournament in the spring. The competition is determined by who can hit the most blocks consistently, while going to the beat of a song (hence the name). The goal is to gain a following for the upcoming school year.