Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois serves students in grades nine through 12, and is widely regarded as one of the top high schools in the state. Their strong academic program and rigorous curriculum yield results, with more than 95% of graduates going on to college. However, the school also recognizes the importance of extracurricular activities in shaping students’ interests and skills beyond the classroom, so they offer an extensive array of over 150 student clubs.
Stevenson already uses Visix digital signage software for daily messaging, so to promote club membership and help participants navigate their extensive list of activities, they again partnered with Visix to create a custom interactive digital signage project.
The project features the school’s logo and colors, and also displays the current date, time and day of the week in the top right corner. Two interactive buttons are features with text prompts to find descriptions and meeting information in the club directory and check out photos from last week’s events in the photo gallery. In addition, the background features pictures of students from diverse backgrounds, which helps reinforce Stevenson’s commitment to fostering a positive and inclusive school culture.
Tapping the club directory button displays the weekly schedule for all 153 student clubs, listed alphabetically, making it easier for students to discover new clubs or attend club events. Each individual club listing shows the days of the week they meet, start and end times and rooms, start and end dates, and the name of the sponsor. An interactive information icon launches a popup for the event with a brief overview of the club, commitments, requirements and information on how to join. Users can sort clubs by category or day of the week using additional filters at the bottom of the screen, placed there for ADA compliance.
To highlight the community aspect of student clubs, the digital signage project also includes a photo gallery accessible via a separate button. The gallery includes high-quality photos from various club events from the previous week, ranging from sports to technical labs and arts-based performances. Users can tap on each thumbnail to view a larger version of the picture and even send the image to their phone by tapping the SMS button at the bottom of the screen and entering their phone number. Thumbnails are also displayed along the bottom of the screen, making it easier for those in wheelchairs to scroll through the gallery and select images.
All of the directory information and photos are populated by a custom database created by Visix. The school can make updates to club events and add photos via a user-friendly web interface designed by the Visix team. Because the data is pulled in automatically, onscreen information is always up to date. The kiosk also times out to the home screen with the two buttons when it sits idle for too long, ensuring that a new user doesn’t walk up to a screen that could be confusing to navigate away from.
Interactive digital signage has proven to be a valuable tool for Stevenson High School. By providing a dynamic and engaging way to communicate with students and parents, it helps increase participation in extracurricular activities and reinforces the school’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The club directory promotes all the different ways students can get involved in the rich extracurricular life at Stevenson, while the photo gallery offers a personalized and immersive experience that celebrates students’ passions and interests. Overall, the project is a smart way to educate, celebrate, and entertain, all while enhancing the school’s brand and reputation.