Seniors can now check out to leave campus during frees by scanning their IDs on an iPad instead of signing out on paper. Assistant to Head of Upper School Michelle Bracken sent an email to all seniors with the sign-up link to become part of the system.

Branden Kim ’15 developed the iPad app, which sits on the security kiosk by the current sign-out sheets, and James Lennon ’15 developed the website that Head of Attendance Gabriel Preciado uses to view sign-outs.

“I was annoyed by having to write my name and waiting in line just go off campus,” Kim said. “I thought that there was a better way to do this all electronically, so I started working on the system.”

Preciado also appreciates the system. Instead of having to sort through messy sign-out sheets, he gets an email and can check a website that holds all the information sorted into neat charts and tables, he said.

“It’s more hip,” Preciado said. “Students get to take a picture of their ID to sign out, and I get to use the website with fancy charts.”

The system also removes the issue of having to trust students to check out properly. Instead, the system automatically records the time a student checks out using the ID.

In the future, Preciado plans to use this system for more than just seniors signing out for free periods.

“At Harvard-Westlake, the attendance office is uphill, and the gate is downhill,” Preciado said. “Using this system for all forms of checkout would be one less step for [students checking out].”