Wisconsin School Sees Extra Benefits from Supplemental Primex Solutions

Maintaining synchronized clocks throughout schools and school districts may sound like a monumental task, but not if you’re Walworth Jt. School District #1. Like many educational institutions, the Wisconsin school district faced persistent challenges maintaining synchronized clocks before turning to Primex Sync™ for help. Since, clocks have been ticking, students and events have been on time, and staff are happy.

“We love our Primex clock system,” said Phill Klamm, District Administrator of Walworth Jt. School District #1. “We haven’t had an issue with our clocks since installation, and that was not the case before Primex.”

How Else Can I Upgrade My School?

No longer having to worry about unsynchronized clocks and burdensome clock maintenance, school leaders turned to Primex for further school optimization opportunities. They chose OneVue Sense® Environmental Monitoring solutions to reinforce proper food storage, building health, and asset protection, and the OneVue
Notify® Mass Notification solution to strengthen school safety.

Automated Monitoring to Protect Cafeteria Food, School Spaces, and Library Books

First, leaders at Walworth Jt. School District #1 looked toward the cafeteria to solidify their school’s food storage. Given the impact a proper nutritional diet has on learning, coupled with the high and rising cost of food, they turned to OneVue Sense Temperature Monitoring for food supply protection. This technology automatically records and logs the internal temperature within the cafeteria refrigerator and freezer to ensure food is stored safely. If the technology measures an out-of-range temperature, staff can be alerted via phone call, text message, or email and given plenty of time for corrective action.

“We use the temperature sensors to make sure our food supplies stay fresh,” Klamm said. “Obviously, the last thing we want to do is serve spoiled food to our students. We know that proper nutrition aids learning, and the sensors help us protect that. If one of those things [refrigerator or freezer] breaks or accidentally gets unplugged, we’ll know right away, thanks to OneVue Sense.”

Next, school leaders sought to rectify previous drainage issues in one of their locker rooms adjacent to the gym. School staff easily installed the OneVue Sense Water Leak Detection Solution in the locker room as a proactive measure, realizing that a slow drain could potentially cause a disastrous flood. Fortunately, the solution has not yet detected any water. If a slow-drain situation were to occur again, school leaders are confident the solution will help prevent extensive damage and avoid class disruption.

School staff then looked to protect one of the most popular places in school — the library. With thousands of books on the shelves, it made sense to introduce OneVue
Sense Ambient Air Temperature and Humidity Monitoring to safeguard books’ integrity. Consistently high temperature measurements and relative humidity levels speed up the deterioration rate of books and can threaten book covers and pages with mold growth. Conversely, constant low temperatures and relative humidity levels cause book covers and pages to dry out, becoming frail and brittle.

Looking – and Reading — to Improve School Safety Communication

To build on their school optimization, leaders at Walworth Jt. School District #1 also sought to improve schoolwide safety communication. Eight OneVue Notify InfoBoard™ Displays now hang throughout the school. These LED boards display critical messages — lockdown, lockout, evacuate, weather, and all clear — at the press of a button, aiding in relaying emergency communication in loud environments.

“We placed the message boards in areas where it can be hard to hear the PA system when the room is full of talking people,” Klamm said. “These message boards allow for an alternative means of notifying people in those loud areas or when we’re unable to make an announcement. Some people are also very visual, so they’ll see notifications on the boards before they hear the announcement over the PA system.”

When not displaying a critical mass notification message, the networked InfoBoard Displays exhibit the same synchronous time as Primex Sync clocks or can show customized messages, which Klamm and two other staff members have access to. Access to critical notification buttons is granted to the school principal and main office secretary.

“Thankfully, we have not had to trigger a notification for an actual emergency,” Klamm said. “People do notice if the board changes, however. One night, a colleague went into the [OneVue] software, changed the colors of the date and time, and added ‘Have a Great Day Wildcats!’ We wanted to see how long it would take for anyone to notice. It caused quite the stir the very next morning. It’s great to know people are paying attention to them, even if they’re not changed often.”

Comprehensive Solutions for Total School Optimization

With wireless 72 MHz synchronized clocks, a three-pronged environmental monitoring approach, and eight bright message boards, Walworth Jt. School District #1 is reaping the benefits of the full-fledged Primex solution portfolio. Classes, events, and schedules are on time; food, property, and books are protected; and students, staff, and visitors are informed for safety.

Not only are school leaders pleased with their Primex technology, but they’re also contented with the level of customer service they’ve been provided.

“One of the main reasons for choosing Primex was the customer service,” Klamm said. “We immediately felt like our needs were important and that we had an expert to support us along the way. The information provided and the way in which it was provided was excellent. The pricing was also the best we’d seen, and the delivery and installation dates worked perfectly with our timeline. Customer service has always been there for us, and we are very thankful for our partnership with Primex.”