ASB and administration expand use of 5-star system

Crowds of students from all grades poured into the Large Gym on Aug. 26, excited for the first rally of the year. Having been told beforehand to install a new app for the 5-star system, students were given the opportunity to check in to the rally using the app’s features, though only a few actually did so.

This was ASB’s first test run of the 5-Star app, an expansion of the 5-star online voting system that students have only used to vote in ASB, class office, and Homecoming court elections in previous years. For now, ASB does not know how many students have installed the app, but they hope more will continue to do so as the year goes on.

“It’s most definitely going to affect the way the school does stuff now,” clubs co-commissioner Kedar Abhyankar said. “Rallies are going to use this heavily, and another example with this [being used] would be with big school events, like dances.”

With the mobile app, attendees can now check in near beacons, which connect to mobile phones. Without the app, they can still check in by manually scanning their ID cards with event supervisors. The school hopes to use the 5 Star App’s “Points” feature, which rewards points based on attendance at school events, to boost overall school spirit.  At the end of the year, the class grade with the most points overall will receive a spirit trophy.

The school first tested out the system to track attendance at the first rally of the year. Though they encouraged students to download the app and check in at the event, only nine people officially registered at the Aug. 26 Rally using the app — four juniors and five seniors.

“Any time there's a transition, advertising and having people completely shift from the status quo are major obstacles,” ASB president Mitali Shanbhag said.

ASB and the administration hope that more students will be using the 5-Star System to check in at school events by the end of the year.

“We're definitely going to send out emails and maybe even give teachers time to explain the system in a classroom setting,” Shanbhag said. “We’re keeping it together, and we’ll definitely be working on this. I’m sure with time everything will work out.”