Jim Hill teachers enjoy new sound systems

By ANDREA JOHNSON, Staff Writer ajohnson@minotdailynews.com

Teachers at Jim Hill Middle School are raving over the addition of 21 new sound field systems that vastly improve the sound quality of their classrooms.

Even if a student is sitting in the back of the classroom he can hear "as if I'm standing right next to him," said science teacher Rick Stevens. Stevens described the technology as sort of putting surround sound in every classroom. He wears a "necklace" that amplifies his voice for the benefit of the students. If a teacher shows a video in class, the media can be piped through the sound field so it's easier for kids to hear.

Stevens is also a fan of the technology because it saves his voice. He no longer has to talk so loudly to be heard by students sitting in his science lab rooms, which are larger than the ordinary classroom. By the end of the day, he used to be really hoarse, said Stevens.

On Thursday afternoon, English teacher Kelly Butz showed off the new system by turning it up and dramatically saying, "Can you hear me now?" The sound field modulated her voice so every word was clear as a bell in every corner of the classroom.

The results are noticeable in the behavior of the students, said principal Cindy Mau. Teachers are noticing that students are more attentive in class and stay on task for longer periods. Stevens said the kids are less likely to miss hearing him give a reading assignment for the next day. Mau hopes that funding will be available to add more of the sound fields in other classrooms as well. Each unit costs approximately $1,300, according to business manager Scott Moum, who said the district purchased the equipment from a company called Lifeline Amplification Systems. The technical name of the equipment is Front Row Pro-Digital System. Teachers and principals at other schools don't know what they're missing, said Mau. She had no idea what a soundfield could do until she saw and heard them in use.

So far the sound fields have been installed in sixth-grade classrooms, science, mathematics, English and special education classrooms at Jim Hill. The new Washington Elementary also has sound fields in its classrooms. There was an opportunity to install the new sound fields at Jim Hill this summer, thanks to a massive rewiring project required after a safety inspection turned up problems with the old wiring. The project also required asbestos abatement, which meant Jim Hill was a construction zone all summer long.

Now that it's all done, Mau said teachers and students at the school are also enjoying new lighting that makes things brighter in the school, new tiles, and new carpeting in the school library. Improving the physical environment of the school has really helped morale, she said.