“Who’s the Best? Super Techs!” This is the cheer of the Manhattan Middle School for Scientific Inquiry (MS 328) Mouse Squad, an outstanding team of 36 students!

Super Techs handle 90% of the tech support at their school, receiving phone calls on tech issues that are digitally translated into problem tickets. A typical day consists of wiring classrooms and handling regular maintenance on the school’s SMART Boards, desktops, laptops, and printers. “The Mouse Squad keeps our school on track,” stated Ms. Ramirez, MS 328 teacher.

MS 328, consisting of 6th to 8th graders, joined the Mouse Squad in 2011. Led by their very active Coordinator, Mr. Lopez, the Squad established a procedure for students interested in the Mouse Squad program. “To join, students submit a resume and letter of recommendation from one of their teachers, must maintain a good grade average and participate in an interview with members of the Mouse Squad,” Mr. Lopez shared.

Luis is superb in computer programming, and is tasked with nominating students, interviewing new applicants and leads the tech support group, which handles the tech maintenance. Luis also has an assistant, Jay who works on the printers. “Mouse teaches us that leaders are not afraid to take risks, achieve success, take authority and help people succeed,” said Jay. 

Mr. Lopez sees the positive impact being on the Mouse Squad has on his students. “I am amazed at the eagerness and enthusiasm of my Mouse Squad. They have dedication and motivation, and are the reason I want to come to school every day,” stated Mr. Lopez. He also shared the story of one of his students who transferred to MS 328 and joined the Mouse Squad. “Last year, he had 86 absences and a grade point average of 55, but this year he has had only two absences and his GPA is a 92.

Including three special education students and transfer students, the MS 328 Mouse Squad takes leadership into their own hands. Teachers, faculty, even Ms. Quiles, Principal of MS 328, know how inspiring Super Tech students are. Ms. Quiles shared a story during our visit saying, “When Victor Lopez, Coordinator for MS 328’s Mouse Squad, was out for a week, one of the Mouse students came into her office and said, ‘While Mr. Lopez is out, I’m your guy.’"

Super Techs not only fix computers and work on the network, they create CAT5 Internet cables and even fix smartphones. “Before joining the Mouse Squad, I didn’t know much about technology.  Now, I can take apart computers and put them back together,” said Galvin, Mouse Squad student. Nathaniel added, “Mouse gives us a great advantage when we go to college and look for jobs in the future.”
See more photos of the MS 328 Super Techs!