TBy Tristan Poisson ’19
The times have certainly changed since the original Chaminade High School iOS app was created a few years ago. In contrast to the relatively basic app used by the last generation of Flyers, users now expect a product that is more comprehensive and versatile. Yesterday, Ryan O’Connor ’19 launched a new app for the school called “Chaminade High School.”
Ryan already has considerable experience designing applications. He released his first official app in late 2015. His app, Clock and Timer, initially described by Ryan as a “simple idea for an app,” has evolved into to a fully customizable app designed for the the fourth-generation Apple TV. Ryan developed his second app for his school science fair project last year. Titled Reaction Time Recorder, the app measures how fast a human can react to each of three colors: red, yellow, and green. He discovered people generally reacted to red first and later made this app available on the Apple App Store. Ryan’s work as a developer earned him an invitation to Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in June. (The three-part Tarmac series recounting his visit can be found here. Part One Part Two Part Three)
The Chaminade High School app is the culmination of Ryan’s programming experiences so far. He has created an impressive app with an expansive list of features to be used by all members of the Chaminade family: students, teachers, parents, and alumni alike. The idea had been in the works since Ryan’s freshman year, but the majority of the progress occurred in the last six months, especially after he attended the WWDC this past spring.
“Meeting with Apple designers helped me realize the best and most focused way to design the menu, prominently displaying today’s events, lunch and news,” explained Ryan. “Without this invaluable experience, I may have missed a crucial point in the app’s user interface and design.”
The first thing one will see upon launching the app will be the user-friendly menu, which provides the user with information about the day’s events, lunch, and the latest news. Beneath that, the Explore section allows users to learn more about Chaminade’s academics, athletics, and activities. Next, users can navigate to the Events list by tapping “See All” located next to the Events tab on the menu. This will immediately bring them a full list of all events, both general and athletic, for up to one month in advance. The same can be done for the Lunch list, which brings up a full month’s worth of lunch items. As far as news goes, one can navigate to the latest news article directly from the menu tab or to a full list of the twenty latest articles, uniquely blending both the school website’s news feed and Tarmac Online posts.
By navigating to the Academics section, users can view a full list of courses for each year. By tapping on one of the seven main subjects, they can read more about the general department, and see a full list of teachers and their contact information. The Campus & Virtual Tour section provides users with an unparalleled experience: a full tour of Chaminade’s campus, right from their own device. The Activities section contains a full listing of all the clubs and activities Chaminade has to offer, with nearly all of them featuring photos and/or videos. The Athletics page provides the user with a full view of the Chaminade athletics program, filtered by season, and pictures for a truly immersive experience. The core component of life at the school, religious expression, is featured on another tab in the app. Last but not least, the About Chaminade page provides additional information about the school and its history. It also gives easy-access links to the Chaminade website (www.chaminade-hs.org) and our online school store.
The future is here, and it’s ready for download. Install the Chaminade High School app on your personal iOS devices today by clicking on the button below.
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