Out with the announcements and in with the lunch projections. The announcements are completely gone with no plan to bring them back so far. What does this mean for getting information out?

Last year and years before, the announcements played over the intercoms during second period, telling students and staff the latest news and changes to the school. Now that they’re gone, new ways of getting information out have sprung up. During both lunches in the main commons, a projector loops slides of information and allow anyone to look at them while they’re eating or passing by. Social media and posters have also played a part in picking up what the announcements once did.

There are a few reasons why the announcements were thrown out. Mr. Tim Fox, during an interview, said, “A lot of people were telling me, ‘Nobody is listening to the announcements, we gotta try something else.’” Mentioning that they were ineffective because students didn’t listen to them. Fox went on to say, “At the same time, we wanted to preserve class time for something that was more useful. So for example, during second period now, we don’t have that additional time that we had for announcements.” Seeing as announcements alone weren’t enough to get the right information out, that time once set aside for announcements is now gone from the schedule. There’s no longer room for long announcements, only quick ones if absolutely necessary.

The projector is not the only thing planned either. There is also talk of hooking a TV up in each locker bay to display the same information as shown at lunch. The social media accounts for school news have been narrowed down to one main account for less confusion and easier management. Plans have also been discussed to make a bulletin board so that there’s one set place for students to go.

Though it has been difficult to tell if these changes are working properly, a notable improvement has been the increase of early homecoming ticket sales, with almost 500 tickets being sold within the first couple days. At the same time, there have been a few complaints of missing the announcements, but as with any change, that’s to be expected.

When it comes to the students, there are mixed reviews of this change. Michela Potratz, a senior, said, “It kinda sucks for the freshmen, because they don’t know anything, but I’m a senior so I don’t care.” While another, Junior Megan Marple, says, “Originally it was that coming down [to IAA], I couldn’t hear anything, but I have friends who are doing sports and now I don’t hear that anymore, so I don’t know when they are or where to go to get that information. It was nice to have, even if some people didn’t listen.” The new shift in how to get information has caused some confusion for the students at CHS.

With the new changes in the school, the announcements might be gone, but the void has been filled with projections, making the transition smooth and keeping the information flowing.