By Ed Pierce
In his work as a Technical Support Specialist at Windham High School, Keith Marquis is helping provide students with opportunities for learning and growth and solving problems is his specialty.
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| Keith Marquis has worked for the past five years as a Technical Support Specialist at Windham High School and he's responsible for supporting all the laptops, computers, printers and applications used at the high school. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
He says helping students and school staff resolve any technical issues is the best thing about what he does in his job.
That’s not always easy and Marquis lists solving problems as the most challenging aspect of his work.
“Some issues are a quick fix, but the issues that take some research and push me to learn more about technology are most rewarding,” he said. “Technology is changing and we need to be able to keep up with those changes and the challenges they present. It is always good to learn something new.”
The Technical Support Specialist position requires the ability to diagnose and resolve hardware and connectivity issues quickly under pressure and being in a school environment means Marquis also must be able to remain patient and professional in high-energy situations while interacting with students, teachers, administrators and staff.
He grew up in Litchfield, Maine and attended Oak Hill High School and before earning an Associate’s of Science degree in Electromechanical Technology at Central Maine Community College in Auburn, then called Central Maine Technical College.
“I also took online classes at Saint Joseph’s College and earned certificates for Server Administrator and Database Administrator,” Marquis said.
Before applying for the job at Windham High School, Marquis started out by working in manufacturing and he built and inspected circuit boards for a year and a half. Then he repaired office and banking equipment for about two years before joining a technical service where he provided Information Technology services for various companies for a few years.
“I then moved on to Saint Joseph’s College in their IT department,” he said. “I was with them for about 15 years before coming to RSU 14. I am also a part-time pyrotechnician, putting on professional fireworks shows and have been doing that for the last 30 plus years.”
According to Marquis, a friend and coworker pointed out the open position at RSU 14 and encouraged him to apply.
“My original position was at Raymond Elementary School,” he said. “After being there for a little over a year, I transitioned to the high school.”
His most memorable moment while working for Windham High School took place a few years ago.
“I built a new lab from the ground up for Digital Arts and eSports a couple years ago,” Marquis said. “I put a lot of planning into getting the lab built. It continues to be very rewarding to see how much use it gets and that everyone is enjoying the space.”
Because he has family also working in education, they have a common framework for their careers.
“My significant other is happy with me working at WHS since she is also in education as a high school science teacher,” he said. “Because we are both in education, we can better relate to the challenges the other encounters.”
As far as the biggest misconception people may have about his work, Marquis says he does not actually use magic to fix a problem but there is something that the public may not know about his work.
“We don’t restrict all the websites we do because we want to; we are required by law to block those websites,” he said. “This is due to the Student Data Privacy Act.”
The most important thing that he has learned while working for Windham High School is simply adjusting and adapting to changing times.
“In some ways high school is nothing like it was when I was a student,” Marquis said. “With every student having a computer in hand, technology has changed teaching and learning and is continuing to evolve almost daily. <
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