In the beginning of class, many Cathedral Catholic High School students complain about slow internet connection, teachers gripe about not taking attendance, and the CCHS technology staff continues to attempt to resolve continuous WiFi issues. 

“With the slow internet, it’s hard to download some of my assignments from Schoology, and it does at times delay the class,” CCHS student Trevor Cross ‘20 said.

Many have theories regarding the reasoning for the WiFi malfunctions, but CCHS technology assistant Mrs. Maegan Elliott knows a temporary fix while the school works on resolving the issue. 

“As of right now, there is nothing you can do to permanently fix the issue on the user’s end,” Mrs. Elliott said. “There is a temporary fix. You need to switch off your WiFi in settings, wait 30 to 60 seconds, and turn it back on. It will only fix your internet for a short time, but will allow you to download a document, such as a Schoology assignment, without interruption.”

Cross is one of more than 1,600 students who experience a slow internet connection at the beginning of class. The long wait for the internet to connect causes teachers to delay attendance and halts students from downloading and uploading documents. 

AP economics teacher Mr. Tom Rickling is one of several teachers who endures slow internet connection on campus.

“On multiple occasions, it’s been slow enough that I have not been able to log into something,” Mr. Rickling said. “Usually it just takes a long time and eventually it gets there.”

The CCHS technology office receives daily complaints about the internet, and it states that this issue is a main priority.

“CCHS is aware of this issue, and we are working on it on an almost daily basis,” Mrs. Eliott said. 

Fixing this issue requires shutting down the entire internet, which can only be done after most teachers and students leave for the day. Even then, the technology office cannot be sure the issue was resolved until the next morning, since there are not nearly as many people using the internet at school in the evenings when repairs are performed, Mrs. Elliott said.

“It is a big network to deal with and it might take a little while, but I do have faith that [the technology staff] will fix this issue,” Mr. Rickling said.