HTML coding, CSS, and JavaScript: to most people, this technical jargon has no meaning. For seniors Julian Seppala and Tyler Truong, they make all the difference. Seppala and Truong are the web-masters of the Seminole High School website and have the exceptional responsibility of keeping the entire Seminole High School body informed of any and every occasion concerning the campus and its constituents.
Both Seppala and Truong were called by SHS technological gurus Mr. Schomer and Mr. Mancini for the job and have been working on the school website since August, 2011. After three years of taking Computing for College, Seppalla was called by Mr. Schomer into his office to talk about joining his Web-master class. “I had taken three years of web design: it was one of my favorite classes,” said Seppala about accepting the responsibility.
Truong took Web I as a freshman and moved up to Web 3 junior year and had Mr. Mancini as his teacher for all three years. “I wanted to try something new and interesting so messing with the school website was one of them. Being recommended by Mr. Mancini helped a bit,” commented Truong regarding his recruitment.
The duties of a web-master or “site author” include ensuring that the web servers, hardware and software are operating accurately, designing the website, generating and revising web pages, replying to user comments, and examining traffic through the site. Seppala said the task can sometimes prove to be a challenge, saying, “Not many people can read HTML coding and pick it apart in order to know what each line of code is doing. That’s where me and my classmate Tyler come in.”
Seppala and Truong go in, read the code, and then make changes in order to modify the website. “This year, we get to redo everything from scratch due to the fact that the current website has lots of problems with it… an example would be using the drop down menu in Google Chrome,” said Truong. Both Truong and Seppala agree in saying the main goal is to avoiding overly complicated applications and to keep things simple enough so that anybody can utilize the website.
Seppala went on to say, “My favorite thing about being a web-master is definitely the fact that it’s such an easy class period after two core classes in the morning…so it’s nice to get away from core classes in the morning and have an easy class to rest my brain in. Oh, and Mr. Schomer is one of the best teachers ever!” Truong added, “It’s a very free and open environment; different from a class where you have deadlines every week and a teacher spending an hour over your shoulder.”
When asked about possibly further propelling their futures in technology after high school, Seppala said, “I’m going to be going to SSC next fall and I’m going to major in acting and minor in creative writing, which are my passions, but I might minor in web design too, who knows what the future may hold.” Truong added he wants to stay within the range of computers and engineering after SHS and would like to perhaps pursue Computer Engineering.
Aside from holding the weighty task of keeping SHS informed with up-to-date information, Truong and Seppala use their free time to pursue their own hobbies. Seppala said, “I’m a senior who branches off into every realm of geek and nerdom. I act, I’m a gamer, I play Dungeons and Dragons and I play online MMORPG’s. I love Japanese anime and manga, and I cosplay (dress up) at anime conventions.”
Truong said, “A nice big group of football players knows me as Just Chillin’. I enjoy messing around with coding on my free time and I’m currently enrolled in Basic Programming at SSC.” His interests include 3D graphics, physics, and the Internet. Truong is also certified by Adobe for its applications: Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and Flash.
Remember to see Trung and Seppala’s combined work in action and check out the school website for announcements, faculty information, calendars, and more today.