Many people would think morning announcements are essential for any school with as many sports and events as Gibson Southern High School has. Starting in the spring of 2023, the morning announcements gradually reduced. The main purpose of the public daily bulletin was to inform students and staff of upcoming events. However, Gibson Southern Principal Jon Adams came to realize the morning announcements have less popularity and a diminishing audience this past year.
“It was repetitive of the same announcements going out everyday,” Adams said.
Along with the repetition of information, the announcements were routine. Students expected what was going to be said, so why bother to pay attention? Some faculty gave their opinion to Adams, and he learned that most of the students were talking during the morning announcements.
“I think some students listened to the morning announcements but most did not,” math teacher Kendra Barrett said.
Though some students actually paid attention to the announcements.
“I listened when we had them because it always wasted some class time,” senior Courtney Heldt said. “I pay attention better if I hear things instead of reading them.”
Ultimately Adams thought of a solution to get information out to the students.
First, the administration tried sending announcements through email or Skyward for the upcoming week every Friday. They realized that was not enough and information was not getting sent out in time. Now, the school announcements are being sent two to three times a week.
“Mrs. Bender gets everything from students and teachers for it,” Adams said.
Receptionist Tracey Bender oversees all the criteria for the announcements. They take effort to make sure they are correct and all the information is relevant and sent out in time.
The usage of social media has also played a big factor in getting important news out to the public. Not all but most students have Instagram. The school has used that to its advantage to communicate with students.
“Let’s say we have a delay, and we put the schedule on Instragram,” Adams said. “I will get around 400 likes in a matter of 10 minutes.”
This data shows students are more likely to check their Instagram rather than their email.
Every once in a while special announcements are given over the intercom. The staff noticed this piqued students’ attention.
“It’s like anything you do repetitively, it loses its luster, but if you do them sporadically, depending on what the announcement is, then there’s more interest,” Adams said.
The sporadic use of intercom announcements made them more appealing and often resulted in a larger attendance to specific sports games or school events.
While morning announcements over the intercom were a staple for many years, the most faculty and students will hear after the moment of silence is the joyful voice wishing them a good day.
