Torrence “Virtual Paging” solution installed at Maumee elementary school
As part of a district-wide initiative, Torrence recently installed its “Virtual PA” solution at Fort Miami Elementary School in Maumee Ohio. Torrence Education Account Manager Fred Lammers explains, “our Virtual PA ties all of the school’s communication tools into a single broadcast and emergency management system. The school’s existing VOiP phones, computer network, and security systems are linked to our Digital Paging Gateway/Controller which manages general and emergency paging, automated lockdowns, scheduled announcements, and bell schedules”.
Paging announcements can be live or pre-recorded and initiated from desk phones, computers, emergency buttons or dedicated paging microphones. Each school is linked to the district office which monitors all activity and can also send out messages from the central dispatch center. Lammers adds, “The system is very flexible, it can be configured around what’s already in place at the school. We can use the existing paging speakers and wire, or provide a complete IP paging solution”. The Maumee School District retrofitted the high school with the Torrence Virtual Paging solution in 2018 and expects to have all of its schools on the system by the summer of 2020.
Fort Miami Elementary School serves 351 students in grades Kindergarten-3. Fort Miami Elementary School placed in the top 20% of all schools in Ohio for overall test scores (math proficiency is top 10%, and reading proficiency is top 30%) for the 2015-16 school year.
The Maumee School District has a rich history as noted in this post from the district’s website:
“The first chartered high school in the state of Ohio was established in Maumee in 1843. Native American children were among the first students who attended school here. The Maumee School District was officially established soon after (1850) and Fort Miami School was created. Teachers were hired for an average wage of $50 a month for men and $30 for women. Salaries compensated teachers for both teaching and janitorial duties”.
“The original community school building was made of logs and located in the lowlands. In 1823, a new, one-room, frame building was constructed on West Broadway, near Allen Street. The current Maumee High School building was dedicated on Sunday, October 29, 1961. Dr. Fred J. Rolf, then superintendent of schools, said this at the dedication … “A school building does not make an education. However, the school buildings in a community do reflect the attitude of that community toward the education of its youth. The citizens of the Maumee school community are to be congratulated for this fine structure with its modern facilities for the better education of our youth.” The City of Maumee is located in Lucas County and stretches for five miles along the north bank of the Maumee River.
