CAMPBELL Security, technology get boost at new school

Exterior cameras can zoom in and record license-plate numbers on passing cars.
By MARALINE KUBIK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CAMPBELL -- High-tech classrooms, labs and security systems that exceed those at many colleges and universities have students and teachers eager to be in class at the new Campbell Memorial High School.
"I love my room," exclaimed Terri Fox, who teaches family relations and parenting, and works with the yearbook.
Another teacher, smiling from ear to ear, asked the same question of everyone who stepped inside her new classroom: "Isn't it beautiful?"
The ninth- through 12th-graders who attend classes in the new school are just as impressed.
"The kids are really happy. Their morale has just been uplifted," Superintendent James A. Ciccolelli said. "I overhear them saying things like 'I can't believe this is ours' all the time."
The students moved into the new building last month. All that remains to be completed is installation of a few cabinets, demolition of the old school and construction of parking lots.
Renovation of the football stadium, which is a separate project, is slated to begin this summer.
The changes
The new high school features 900-square-foot classrooms including: four science labs with emergency showers and eyewash stations, a multimedia studio for the production of television programs, several computer and technology labs, a library, an art room with a kiln for pottery, and a distance-learning classroom.
Through distance learning, students can participate in classes being held at the same time anywhere in the world "as long as the other school has the technology," Ciccolelli said.
"Being a small district, we offer French and Spanish," the superintendent explained. "What the distance-learning classroom allows us to do is, if there are a couple of students who want to take German, they can come in here and interact with a class being taught at another school just like they were there."
The same holds true for other courses, he said; The distance-learning classroom broadens the selection of courses and educational experiences available to students.
The classroom features two large monitors that show both classes, microphones at each station and a camera that can pan the room and zoom in on each student.
Thus far, a Spanish class has used the lab to interact with another class at a high school in Columbiana County. Chemistry, math, health and physics classes have also used the lab for joint classes with other schools.
Classes have also used the distance-learning equipment to tour the Cincinnati Zoo and participate in an event with Channels 45/49 in Kent.
Security measures
A high-tech security system allows immediate lockdown of the school -- all controlled by computer. Thirty-two motion-activated video cameras record activity in school hallways and around the building exterior. The video surveillance system stores the images for a month, Ciccolelli said, and allows school officials to zoom in to identify students, visitors and faculty.
Interior cameras, which are concealed, have already recorded a student causing minor damage to a sign outside a classroom, said Rick Gozur, principal.
"I called him in, and before we started, I asked him if there was anything he wanted to tell me," Gozur said. The student played dumb. But once Gozur played back the recorded image, "he spilled his guts," the principal said. After that, the word got around pretty quickly, and there haven't been any other cases.
The exterior cameras are so sophisticated, Ciccolelli said, that they can zoom in and record license plate numbers on passing cars.
Faculty and staff members have access to the building during designated hours, Ciccolelli continued, through access devices that can be reprogrammed at any time. "I have access 24/7," he said. "Teachers have access from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m." Custodians and coaches have some access after hours. Coaches can also have their access cards coded to allow entry into the building on weekends for practices, Ciccolelli said.
TV production
The multimedia studio, which has more cutting-edge technology than some universities, allows students to produce television programs, Ciccolelli said. Students have already done football programs and recorded the prom and school dedication ceremony.
The school gym, fully equipped with video screens and sound system, can be transformed into the ideal production area, Ciccolelli said. Multimedia students can record activities there, project images on the screens in real time and then produce videotapes and CDs of the event for distribution to participants. "We're looking to do that for commencement this year," he said.
Commencement is slated for Thursday.
kubik@vindy.com