We interviewed Mr. Baljit Ranu, the principal of Clayton Heights Secondary School (SD36 - Surrey Schools), about his school’s experience with “Clayton Nightriders”, an iOS & Android mobile app developed for the school and in use since 2016.
THE SCHOOL
Clayton Heights Secondary School in Surrey, BC, Canada, student population 1,100.
THE SITUATION
We were looking for an efficient and flexible multimedia presentation format to get out information to students.
PA announcements weren’t working for several reasons.
Students were often late and missed the announcements,
and teachers tended to use that time to take attendance so the announcements got lost in their start up ritual.
There was no stop and listen moment for staff and students, and the PA system was getting older which was also challenging.
Besides that, parents weren’t getting the information that we wanted to get out there.
In addition, paper student agendas were expensive and not used. We had tried another student planner app before Appazur.
THE SOLUTION
Appazur was chosen by our school district because the digital signage TV’s and the mobile app go hand in hand.
To get buy-in from staff, we used a staff meeting demonstration to get it going, with key members of the staff leading the charge and showing teachers how easy it was to use. Teachers appreciated being able to quickly send a message out to their students.
Other key features includes the student class schedules and the homework planner.
To encourage parents and students to adopt the app, I blitzed the information out to all to let them know that this was the best way to go. Students and parents are very busy and I was able to explain the convenience of the app for them.
THE RESULTS
Students check the news often! It shows when we see the number of students who attend meetings, or dress up for spirit days.
The ability to tailor news for specific groups has been helpful in ensuring announcements are heard by stakeholders.
The feedback has been that they love the linkage from the app to the TV’s, and that they don’t miss important news.
Finally, we’re very happy with the customer service that is offered. When there is an issue, you give our staff guidance on how to resolve it.
