In September of 2015, we wrote an article about receiving a server from iXsystems to run the new Central Cambria School District website. I am pleased to announce that we are officially finished with the new website!
The old website lacked many features of modern websites. One of the biggest problems with the old website is that there was no easy way for teachers and staff to update it. As a result, many of the pages were out of date and contained a message stating that “information will be posted as it becomes available”.
The other major problem with the old website is that it was not mobile friendly. With smartphones becoming almost ubiquitous, this was a key issue that we wanted to fix. To solve this problem, we decided to base the new site off of the free and open source bootstrap framework.
With this framework, we created an entire platform that would allow teachers to change the website just by clicking on a component to edit it. We used our own software to design each of the pages. By doing this, we ensured that the website could be kept up to date long after we graduate.
Another huge improvement to the website is the addition of HTTPS! The new server has free and automated certificates provided through Let’s Encrypt. This ensures that anyone connecting to the new website will be secure from network sniffers and hackers.
Next week on May 24, 2016, we will be taking the new website to the Pennsylvania Computer Fair!
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We would like to thank iXsystems again, for all of the support and encouragement as we developed the new website. It was a blast, and we never would have been able to make it this far without a solid server which we could rely on!
Andrew Regan
