Have you noticed glitches in the announcements lately? Different bells? Muffled voices overhead that you can’t hear over the classroom noise? Because I have.
Sitting in my classroom during first block, it’s always a gamble whether the speakers will play an understandable string of announcements, a muffled mess of mumbles, or a horrifying glitch that makes the voice on the intercom completely incoherent.
“I find the new PA system to be disturbing,” Addison Brown, a junior, commented. “The glitches make it sound like it’s from some kind of horror movie.” Frank Milano, a senior, added onto that, explaining that the bells are “a little too quiet. You can’t hear them in parts of the building. I’d say the only positive thing about the change is the bells.”
Honestly, the only upside that the public of Kettle Run agrees on is that there are no more delayed bells. It’s easier to know when the periods are ending and when they end on time. Besides this, however, I only heard negative statements.
There was a general consensus for sure. Too quiet, too glitchy, too muffled. Students don’t like it. I don’t like it. But why is this? Why did the school make the executive decision to change something so integral to our school’s day-to-day function?
Well, in an interview with Mr. Malloy, the principal of Kettle Run, he spoke on why the decision was made to overhaul the PA system and replace it.
“I’m big on safety,” he lamented, continuing to explain how his “number one goal is always kids arriving safely and leaving safely.” Mr. Malloy went on to explain that a working PA system is integral to safety. While serving as principal of Warrenton Middle School, the PA system was unreliable, leading to frequent communication issues and safety concerns. Certain classrooms weren’t receiving announcements, and the system was so outdated that it was practically impossible to find parts for it. ”Any issue in any classroom to me is a safety violation,” he commented.
Still, with this system overhaul, the flaws don’t go unnoticed. “I would love for it to sound better,” Mr. Malloy admitted with a smile on his face. “And I think that’s part of the process. It is still not perfect, and the people are still working on it, so feedback’s always important.”
