Enhanced Mass Communication System Upgrade at the Christian Academy by AtlasIED
Trinity Christian Academy (TCA), established in 1970 by a group of committed parents, has grown from a small secondary school to one of the country's largest single-campus pre-K-12 Christian schools, serving over 1,400 students on a 40-acre campus. In a bid to modernize and consolidate its communication systems, the school turned to AtlasIED's solutions for secure and efficient campus-wide voice communications.
Initially, TCA had a mishmash of technologies across its lower, middle, and upper schools for bells, clocks, and loudspeakers, some of which were analog. The lack of central management made maintenance a cumbersome task. The catalyst for upgrading the audiovisual (AV) systems came with the construction of a new middle school. Jason Burrows, AV manager at Superior Fiber and Data Services, was contacted to design a communication solution for the new building. Superior Fiber, with over two decades of experience in AV solutions for K-12 schools and higher education, was well-equipped to handle a project of TCA's scale.
One of the main pain points for TCA was their outdated analog clocks, which required manual resetting during time changes. To address this issue and streamline other communication needs, Burrows developed a solution that combined IPX endpoints from AtlasIED with Singlewire's InformaCast communications software. This combination offered interoperability, reliability, and usability, all backed by rigorous testing.
The new middle school communication system features AtlasIED's IP-SDM IPX series loudspeakers and LCD displays in each classroom. Promethean interactive flat panels were installed with their audio output connected to the IP-SDM as external speakers. Dual-sided AtlasIED IP-DDS displays, incorporating speakers and a dual-sided LCD display, were installed throughout the hallways for effective coverage during passing periods.
The IP-SDM and IP-DDS devices registered as communication endpoints within InformaCast, enabling visual text and audio broadcast. This advanced communication platform improved physical security and day-to-day communications through features like advanced alerting, bell schedules, pre-recorded announcements, and intercom. The AtlasIED IP-ZCM IP-to-analog gateways proved instrumental, allowing the IPX endpoints to interact with the school's existing analog systems during upgrades, saving money, and providing the flexibility for future digital upgrades.
After completing the middle school project, Superior Fiber upgraded the upper and lower school buildings to standardize the AtlasIED/Singlewire integration across the entire campus. This integration allows centralized management, enabling daily and emergency messages like weather alerts and lockdowns to be distributed to individual buildings or all locations, depending on the message content.
TCA staff appreciate the modern aesthetic and user-friendly paging interface of the upgraded devices. The improved audio clarity ensures that teachers and students can understand overhead pages clearly. AtlasIED's solutions proved to be a robust fit for the new building and the existing combination of technologies, setting the foundation for future growth as TCA's needs evolve.
- The technological upgrade at Trinity Christian Academy (TCA) included the implementation of AtlasIED's IPX endpoints and Singlewire's InformaCast communications software in the new middle school, as part of an effort to streamline communication needs, improve security, and modernize outdated systems.
- The education-and-self-development sector and general news media may be interested to know that TCA, after upgrading their communication systems, now feature advanced features like visual text and audio broadcast, advanced alerting, bell schedules, pre-recorded announcements, and intercom, all consolidated within the AtlasIED/Singlewire integration across their pre-K-12 campus, enhancing day-to-day communications and physical security.
