INDUSTRIOUS STUDENT

BUILDS COMPUTER

AT HOME

What does an industrious student do over the summer? Why, build a computer of course. That’s what Miles Halley, a current senior in Mr. Bob Warner’s Greenville High School’s Computer Information Systems class (CIS), did!

The purpose of the CIS program is to introduce the students to industry’s standards in software and to work in lab settings to simulate real world situations. CIS is also a tech prep program which means that students take academic courses as well as career-technical courses (employable skills courses). When successfully completing this two-year program, students earn college credits while still attending high school and are eligible for scholarships to Edison or Sinclair Community Colleges.

Halley built a functioning computer out of Legos and scrap computer parts. The design for his plan began in his junior CIS class taught by Mr. Nathan Sharp. Building the Lego computer was going to be a class project but time restraints prohibited the completion of the project. Halley, a diligent student, took it upon himself to build a replica on his own during the summer break. He even added a USB port. Halley named his computer “Skittles” after the original model. Halley remarked, “It took me five days to build. The biggest challenge in building it was getting all the Legos to fit in place. I built it all myself, with the exception of the clear plastic top and front on the case. These were added to make it possible to view the working parts. My dad helped me to cut and Velcro the plastic to the Legos.”

When asked how he felt about his accomplishment, he replied, “I learned a lot in Mr. Sharp’s junior class. That knowledge was very important in putting the computer together. Building the computer on my own has given me confidence. I’m looking forward to my senior CIS class.”

Upon graduation, Halley hopes to pursue a career in game designing, program designing, or computer repairs.