Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

New Jersey High School Debuts Auditorium Renovation, Technical Upgrades

  • By Matt Jones
  • 11/20/24

Plainfield High School in Plainfield, N.J., recently completed a series of construction projects including an auditorium renovation, a new eSports gaming arena, and a black-box theater, according to a news release. The school partnered with PureTek Group to install the Pliant Technologies CrewCom professional wireless intercom system, providing full coverage and clear communication across all new spaces.

The auditorium and black box theater are on one side of the building and the eSports arena made up of two adjacent classrooms on the other. The intercom system’s coverage capabilities have provided major benefits in practice, according to the news release.

Plainfield High School Auditorium
Photo courtesy of Pliant Technologies

“The eSports arena has only enough space for gamers and coaches, so for tournaments, the auditorium serves as a viewing area for audiences,” said PureTek Group Co-Founder and President Dan Litvin. “To achieve a collaborative performance, communication is key, so reliable coverage from a distance is a necessity. With Pliant, production personnel at the school are able to communicate clearly from the eSports arena all the way to the backstage booth in the auditorium.”

The intercom system uses “one CrewCom 2+2 Control Unit (CCU), three CrewCom 900MHz Radio Transceivers (RTs), seven CrewCom 900MHz 2-Volume/2-Conference Radio Packs with seven SmartBoom PRO single-ear headsets,” and accessories like a drop-in radio pack, battery charger, and supply cords.

Plainfield High School Backstage Auditorium Booth
Photo courtesy of Pliant Technologies

The system’s ability to use multiple channels has also worked in the school’s favor. Booth operators, auditorium operators, the backstage area, and eSports broadcasting personnel can all communicate among each other on separate feeds to have single conversations, the news release reports.

“We now have cutting-edge technology, and we’re very excited that our students have the opportunity to be very hands-on in terms of learning the equipment,” said Jean Gordon, Plainfield Public Schools’ Chief of Instruction and Programs. “We are now offering our students a new skillset that they can take out into the world.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Photo courtesy of Kraus-Anderson

    Minnesota District Completes $49.7M Addition, Renovation Project

    St. Paul Public Schools in St. Paul, Minn., recently announced the completion of a $49.7-million addition and remodeling project at two district schools, according to a news release.

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • Wold Architects & Engineers Acquires VPS Architecture

    Full-service planning, architecture, and engineering firm Wold Architects & Engineers recently announced that it has acquired VPS Architecture, according to a news release. The move will help strengthen Wold’s education and public-sector design expertise, industries in which both companies have strong pre-existing ties and relationships.

  • Arizona District Breaks Ground on Community Training, Learning Center

    The Tolleson Union High School District (TUHSD) in Tolleson, Ariz., recently broke ground on a new Training & Learning Center (TLC) for both district professionals and the community at large, according to a news release. The 90,000-square-foot facility has an estimated completion date of spring 2027.