The Challenge

The new I.C. Norcom High School was built in Portsmouth's revived downtown area. From the very beginning of the project, AE Systems was asked to assist the architects and engineers in developing a state-of-the-art facility that could carry the institution's fine traditions into the next century.

The Solution

The school's communication systems include Rauland Telecenter V with classroom telephones and Interactive Voice Response, plus a Vodavi digital administrative telephone system. A baseband Ranger Media Management System was provided with a 50x150 matrix switch, classroom wall panels, and Remote Scheduling / Lesson Plan software throughout. Additional systems include an addressable Notifier fire alarm system, a robust security system, and extensive pro audio work in the auditorium and gymnasium.

Instructional areas include a 150-seat teaching theatre with two 27" and two 35" multi-scan monitors. Math and Science labs have 35" multi-scan monitors and the remaining areas have permanently mounted 27" TV sets with local input and local origination return feeds to the headend. Each classroom also has at least 8 data drops connected by Category 5UTP cabling to Intermediate Distribution Frames (IDF) with 10MB hubs, while the IDFs are connected to the Main Distribution Frame (MDF) by means of a fiber optic backbone and 3Com 100MB ether switches.

Areas without permanently mounted equipment may roll up and plug in a "smart cart" providing a 27" TV, remote, and custom-designed panel with ports for local input, local origination, and Level III interactivity.

AE Systems also provided a fully-furnished video editing suite, a television production studio, a radio station, and an audio production studio.

For security, I.C. Norcom High School has an extensive CCTV surveillance system consisting of 76 Pelco cameras covering virtually every inch of the facility, both interior and exterior.

Six full-featured zoom/auto-focus color cameras on the exterior of the building and one in the interior commons area are mounted on pan/tilt motors. The outdoor cameras are mounted on old English-style light fixtures and are not only virtually undetectable, but also aesthetically complimentary to the buildingís exterior.

Microplexers in the headend control the school's cameras and record their output 24 hours a day. Security personnel can view the cameras' real-time output on five 27' monitors, which stream through views of each camera in the building - one monitor for each of the three floors, one for the buildingís exterior, and one for a combination of views.

Upon completion, I.C. Norcom became one of the most technologically advanced educational facilities in the world, due largely to AE Systems' ongoing commitment to staying on the cutting edge of technology and helping their clients achieve success in the 21st Century.