Next year's registration goes digital
In an effort to minimize the inconvenience of registration and be more environmentally friendly, Samo is commencing online registration for the 2012-2013 school year. This process is already beginning with ID card pictures being taken this week for next year.Samo Parent Teacher Association (PTA) co-vice president Pam Goodman says she is glad that Samo has modernized its registration system.“Parents will now fill out the registration forms online and then bring those products to the school on certain days, and the ID pictures are supposed to be done by the end of this year,” Goodman said. “I’m very excited about it. Now I won’t have to fill out emergency forms in triplicate.”However, Goodman said that the new form of registration could create a problem for parents who do not have access to the internet or do not have a charge card to pay for things like binder reminders.According to PTA president Debbie Mulvaney parents will still be able to use the payment methods they used last year and will be provided with internet access.“There will be multiple days available for parents to come into the computer lab and register,” Mulvaney said. “There will also be people there to help.”Mulvaney said that the school is expected to save money with the new digital system and the PTA has been considering the change for a while.“We’ve been waiting to find the right system,” Mulvaney said. “[During] the first year with the new system we’re going to spend about the same, but then after the initial start-up fee were going to save thousands of dollars a year.”Sophomore Jake Speakman feels that the new system will help diminish the usual hassle of registration, and that hopefully the money saved will be given to programs in need.“I think the new way will be better because it will be simpler and we won’t have to come to school and stand in all the lines,” Speakman said. “With the way registration was before it was very unorganized and took more time than it needed to.”Sam ReamerOpinion Editor