By Aakash Jain ’14
THE ROUNDUP
With two bachelor’s degrees in interpersonal communication and information technology, Mr. Mark Pettit had a diverse range of jobs before he came to Brophy to work in the technology department.
“I was doing a lot of administrative work … I was also involved in customer service and … the resort and tourism industry at one point,” Mr. Pettit said. “You could pretty much name it and I think I was a part of it.”
Mr. Pettit said he has always had a knack for technology, which culminated in his joining the faculty in May 2000.
“Everybody knew that I knew a little bit about technology so they asked for my help before they even went to the tech department where I was working at,” Mr. Pettit said. “I wasn’t really even looking for a job. My mom worked here … the guy who was here doing technology asked my mom if I was looking for a job and it rolled on from there. Next thing I knew I was working at Brophy.”
In his current role, Mr. Pettit said he is responsible for the entire technology life cycle, including purchasing, configuration, maintenance and eventually, recycling.
“There’s such a wide variety of things that I do here that it never gets old. There’s always something new going on,” Mr. Pettit said when asked what he enjoys most about job. “There are always big events. Things stay exciting around here.”
Mr. Pettit said that there were fewer than 100 computers on campus when he first started.
“There was one in every classroom and there were a few in the library. Of course that’s grown and grown,” Mr. Pettit said. “Between Mr. Cook, Mr. Housh and myself we always wanted to eventually get to where every student had a computer. When the convertible tablet PC that the juniors and seniors are still using today came out that made it feasible.”
Mr. Pettit added that he is pleased with the recent switch to iPads, emphasizing that there is a lot less breakage among students because of the protective cases that come with the machines.
Outside of school, Mr. Pettit said he enjoys spending time with his children and riding his recumbent tricycle.
Daniel Anderson ’14, who works with Mr. Pettit in the technology office, said that he enjoys spending time with him.
“He’s definitely an interesting guy,” Anderson said. “He’s also really smart and knowledgeable.”
“Most people probably haven’t seen it … he rides a three-wheeled bike,” Anderson added when asked to give an interesting fact about Mr. Pettit. “Occasionally you’ll see him going up and down Central with it before school … that’s always pretty funny.”
When asked what he foresaw as the future of Brophy technology, Mr. Pettit said, “Could be anything. The possibilities are endless. That’s one of the greatest things about Brophy: there’s always something new, and there are always changes going on.”