The computing capabilities at Oak Park and River Forest High School will get a boost this year thanks to an over $140,000 infusion of new equipment.
The Oak Park and River Forest High School Board of Education approved the purchase of new computer equipment at its Aug. 20 meeting.
A $60,534 purchase went towards 27 Lenovo Legion T5 desktop workstations.
The school’s computers in its video gaming and multimedia lab have reached the end of their five-year lifecycle and are not capable of the performance required for modern multimedia design and development, school officials said.
The new workstations will be used in video game and multimedia development classes, which prepare students for careers in interactive media. Using modern game design software, students create different types of video games including arcade, role-playing and first-person shooter games.
The class also requires students to design, analyze and render complex 2D and 3D graphics, modeling, texturing, lighting and animation across multiple styles of video games.
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The lab is also used for several classes including digital literature, website development, as well as the student helpdesk internship and the school’s video game club.
The board also approved the purchase of 31 24-inch iMac workstations for the educational technology department, and a four-year AppleCare+ plan, totaling $81,654.
The nearly $82,000 purchase will replace obsolete devices that are currently being used in the visual arts department’s graphic design courses.
The curriculum prepares students for future education and careers in creative industries, requiring them to analyze, design and render complex graphics, package design, typography, layouts, corporate brand identities and web interfaces.
The equipment in the classroom is also outdated and no longer reaches performance capabilities necessary for modern digital art, web design and 2D and 3D imaging, officials said.
The combined purchases total of all equipment was $142,188.