By Jackie Galford, features editor and Kaitlyn Walsh, advertising

Where did the App Store go? Students have investigated their iPads and found something unusual.They were informed that an alternative catalog has been installed on the iPads.

Self-Service is a student access portal to administration approved apps. Teachers can request educational apps to put

into the portal that will tie in with their classes. It’s similar to the App Store, just controlled.

But with this convenience comes consequences. “I’ve experienced some frustrations with Self-Service, including the apps not showing up,” said senior Colten Burdick. For multiple students, several apps failed to appear after they were repeatedly attempted to be downloaded. Students are finding the unavailability of the App Store an annoyance.

This new Self-Service (app) has surprised and frustrated some of the students with its faulty set-up. “I’ve had a few issues with Self-Service.  Apps wouldn’t install when I tried to download them,” said seventh grader Ava Jones.         

Greg Henry, network administration specialist at Saegertown High School, described the benefits of the new system: “Self-Service is more supervised than the App Store. With Self-Service, there is no longer a lot of abuse on the iPads with the games. I believe only 15-20 percent of students have had trouble. It definitely makes our summers a lot easier because we don’t have to go through and wipe everything out on the iPads,” Henry said. “Overall, I think it has gone well, and will probably be used in the future.”