When students at Skyline received new MacBooks in August 2025, the change felt refreshing after years of slow, outdated Chromebooks.
These brand new computers have transformed the workflow of students and staff, bringing new opportunities to the classroom.
“I actually like that everyone has the same device,” says English and Yearbook teacher Brittany Ray. “I think it eliminates a lot of the equity issues that I saw in class where the Chromebooks didn’t work as well for some things, [and] then certain kids had nicer devices. I think people had advantages that other kids didn’t.”
Before Skyline students were given MacBooks, they had Chromebooks. These Chromebooks were five years old and were slow and inefficient. Because of this, many students brought their own computers to use.
“I used my personal computer last year because my trackpad on the Chromebook was broken, and sometimes it would heat up and make weird sounds,” says student Thor Ham (‘27).
Although the new MacBooks are much appreciated by the students for their high efficiency and new features, there are a few things they wish were different. Some platforms students use are blocked, such as Pinterest and Spotify. This can affect schoolwork because students can’t access tools that help them stay focused during the school day.
“Sometimes my Spotify is blocked, which is really frustrating, because I really work better with music going on in the background,” says student Livia Peirce (‘27). “[For] that to just be completely banned really affects how I do my schoolwork.”
With college application season, many students who are applying to schools are having trouble with logins and other logistical issues on their school MacBooks.
“All of my login stuff is saved on my personal computer, then if I use my school computer, it doesn’t have any of that saved,” says student Adira Maze (‘26). “It’s annoying to have to log into Common App on the school [computer].”
Students are learning how to navigate the new systems on MacBooks, and teachers are adapting their lessons. Students and staff are having conversations about how to balance personal learning/teaching styles and overall productivity.
“For my yearbook class, we do an assignment during our design unit where [students] have to do their own Pinterest boards,” says Ray. “They collect different layouts and inspiration from a whole bunch of places online. Pinterest is [now] blocked. There’s not really another [website] out there that does the same thing Pinterest does, where you can collect visual elements in a way that’s accessible to everyone.”
