Background

The Anaheim California Elementary School District (AESD) has a long history of broadcasting curriculum-based programming to their schools. In 1959, through a grant from the Ford Foundation, AESD became the first school district in California to broadcast curriculum-based programming to its 23 elementary schools. Over the years the signal has been transmitted in a variety of ways - from a closed-circuit cable system, to Instructional Television Fixed Service (ITFS), and now online streaming. Most recently, AESD began reaching out to their families through the AESD YouTube channel which now has over 5,000 subscribers.

Customer Requirements

According to Mr. Brian Brooks, Media Services Supervisor for Digital Education Services at Anaheim California Elementary School District, " Prior to the pandemic, school board meetings were recorded, but not broadcast live. The meetings had always been held in public so families could interact with the Board and the administration in person, and the need for live interactive video streaming was not necessary." The pandemic prevented that from happening. As families became anxious for news and updates, the bimonthly School Board meetings, which were being conducted over Google Meet, were then simulcast live over YouTube so families could stay engaged and up to date with their child's school.

Results

As AESD began to transition back to live, in-person meetings, a hybrid solution was needed and that's where Lumens came into play.  After careful consideration and a meeting with local Southern California vendor VMI and some Lumens representatives, AESD purchased two Lumens VC-A50P cameras and mounted them to C-Stands with the school board spread out throughout the room. The cameras were controlled by an operator in the corner of the room using a Lumens VS-KB30 controller and a Blackmagic switcher. 

As more and more people began to view the live meetings, it became obvious that a more robust permanent solution would be needed.  A storage closet in the back of the Board room was converted to a control room and six more VC-A50P were purchased and permanently mounted to the ceiling.  

The two original cameras were moved to the district’s television studio and are now being used for science and eSports broadcasts.