M-A replaced their 30-year-old speaker and phone system at the beginning of this school year. While a necessary update, the new systems have posed their own problems.
One of the most prominent issues with the new speaker system is the feedback and loud volume. At the beginning of the year, many loudspeaker announcements were barely intelligible, making it difficult to communicate intrusion alerts, fire alerts, or other important information.
Recent hall sweeps have resulted in inconsistently loud volumes, and announcements aren’t fully comprehensible in certain areas of campus. The sensitivity of the system’s microphone is the main reason for this problem. “It’s extremely sensitive, so it’s scratchy and loud,” Administrative Vice Principal (AVP) secretary Karen Renkel Egbert said.
“Because of the music, it’s blaring out super loud in some areas, especially for teachers who have the speakers in their rooms,” AVP secretary Ingrid Avila said.
A large reason for the malfunctions is the rushed introduction. “We weren’t given much time to practice and prepare, or instructions really, since it’s new to everybody,” Egbert said.
Other teachers also mentioned a lack of communication from the administration on how to use the new phones. “On June 14, I was told how to dial out, but June 14 was summer vacation, and then, I guess I was told about a user guide, but there was very little communication,” English teacher Susie Choe said. Choe also hasn’t noticed any positive or negative changes between the old and new system. “It definitely just feels the same as I don’t know how to access my voicemails. I don’t know if I have a voicemail. The communication around that wasn’t great.”
However, Avila has hope for the new system. “I think maybe once we kind of get used to the system, it will be better,” Avila said. “We just haven’t gotten to that point.”
Plant Manager Brien Oliver echoed this sentiment when asked if teachers are happier with the new systems. “It’s too soon yet to know, given that no one really knows how to use those extra functions yet. I think in time, everybody’s gonna be much happier,” Oliver said.
Replacing the old system was a natural step in improving M-A’s campus. The renovations are part of a five-year deferred maintenance plan that will upgrade school facilities. In response to questions about future updates, Oliver said the fire and intrusion alarms will be updated next.
