Mr. Ellison, a technology aid here at Hudson High School, is easily one of the most important members of the Explorer staff. He describes himself as “the first line of defense” when it comes to technology issues for students and staff alike, and he is always ready and willing to answer questions and help fix problems. Mr. Ellison’s contribution to the high school is undeniable, and the work he does for the technology department ensures that this school can run smoothly and efficiently.
At the start of his career, Mr. Ellison had planned on becoming a teacher; he even majored in teaching and was a student teacher for a year at Hudson Middle School. Something special Mr. Ellison mentioned about those students is that, “the kids that I student taught, all that time ago, they’re actually all seniors now. It’s cool seeing some of them all grown up, and I’m a bit jealous that some of them are taller than me now.” Being able to see and work with not only those students, but everyone here at Hudson High School, is one of Mr. Ellison’s favorite parts about working in a school building.
Mr. Ellison originally wanted to go into teaching because growing up in Akron he always enjoyed school, and considered it a “safe place.” “I ran track in high school and just enjoyed the teachers that I had,” he explains. When Mr. Ellison first started working in the district, he loved it and said that “all in all I just enjoy working in a school building.” He also mentioned that he enjoys seeing the students and staff and “helping them create a better education for everyone.”
Another thing that makes Hudson a special place for Mr. Ellison is that his dad also works in the district. When teaching didn’t end up working out for Mr. Ellison, it was his dad who showed him an application for technology support. After looking over the application, Mr. Ellison said that he, “took a leap, and decided to apply for it.” Now, six years later, Mr. Ellison is thriving in his position and enjoying the work he does for this school.
As mentioned earlier, Mr. Ellison would describe his position as the “first line of defense” here at the high school. Throughout the day teachers will fill out “tech tickets” which means they are having a technology problem and need Mr. Ellison’s help in fixing it. Responding to the tickets and fixing their associated problems takes up a lot of Mr. Ellison’s time. “If it’s something I can fix right away, that’s awesome, but if I can’t, like if it’s something beyond me then I have to escalate the ticket to someone else,” he explained.
Some of the other staff members Mr. Ellison frequently works with include Mrs. Swiderski, the technology coordinator here at Hudson, and Mr. Chiwaki, the assistant network manager. Mr. Ellison said that “if there’s a problem I cannot solve, I can email them for support and they can get back to me; or, if it’s something that they have to do, then they just take care of it.” These are the people that Mr. Ellison would escalate a “tech ticket” to if that was necessary. Mrs. Swiderski, Mr. Chiwaki and Mr. Ellison are all crucial players in Hudson’s technology department; without them everyday operations would not run nearly as smoothly as they do.
Responding to “tech tickets” and working with fellow members of the technology department are not the only things Mr. Ellison does. When asked about his favorite part of his job, he said that “honestly when the kids lose their ipads and I have to ping it; that’s very fun to do because I like seeing where it is in the school.” When asked his least favorite part, he understandably said “cleaning some of the ipads because they do get a little gross at times.” By now, it is clear that Mr. Ellison plays an important role for this school, and when asked what he thought was the most important thing he does, Mr. Ellison replied “I definitely think that communicating with the staff and students” is critical. He also said that when Hudson first got the ipads, troubleshooting them was a big thing; “I would show them [students and staff] the steps to take to fix the problem,” he explained.
This generosity and dedication is something that Hudson staff and students alike most appreciate about Mr. Ellison. Mr. Bolin described him as “positive, sociable, and personable,” and as someone who “makes the school run.” Mr. Bolin also stated that, “anytime I’ve had a tech related problem, he has worked tirelessly to get it solved as fast as possible.” Additionally, when told that Mr. Ellison would be spotlighted, Ms. Crecelius had a huge smile on her face and was excited to hear that he would be getting the recognition he deserves.
Mr. Ellison is very passionate about his job, and he is always ready and willing to lend a helping hand. After being asked what advice he would give to someone interested in pursuing a similar career, his response was this: “always be willing to learn new things and never back down from a challenge.” He also said that technology is always growing which is crazy to see as someone who works with technology for a living. Being able to adapt to the ever-changing world of technology, like Mr. Ellison does every single day, is vital when fulfilling a role such as his.
