Chippewa Valley Schools Choose SAFARI Montage and Sentinel Technologies

SAFARI Montage Solution Provides Tools for Classroom Efficiency and Creativity

Wynnewood, PA (April 13, 2012) - In the spring of 2011, Chippewa Valley Schools (CVS) set out to upgrade its existing analog video system to a digital media distribution system that could be efficiently managed from the district head-end. The district, which is the 8th largest district in Michigan, is recognized as a leader in the educational community, and has long been committed to maintaining top-notch facilities, outstanding educational programs and state-of-the-art technology. With the assistance of Metro Technology Services, the district’s technology project management team, CVS examined solutions by several industry leaders and chose the SAFARI Montage® digital media delivery and management system. A contract was awarded to Sentinel Technologies to install the system in all 22 of the district’s schools. The system was implemented in the fall of 2011, and it didn’t take long for Craig McBain, Director of Technology at CVS, to start getting positive feedback from his staff.

“I knew we had made the right choice with SAFARI Montage when I started getting unsolicited emails from teachers,” said McBain. “The most memorable one simply said that SAFARI Montage was the best thing since sliced bread!”

CVS teachers praised SAFARI Montage’s high-quality content, including the math programs and the award-winning Bill Nye the Science Guy titles. They also noted the superior video resolution compared to other video streaming services, a feature they found to be especially important when using the SMART Board™ interactive whiteboards which were recently installed in classrooms throughout the district. CVS staff also loved the ability to build playlists, as SAFARI Montage allows users to easily string together multimedia files to create a digital lesson plan, which can then be shared with others.

“The feedback we have received from Chippewa Valley Schools has been extraordinary. As a company, we strive to deliver the best educational technology tools to help teachers build effective digital classrooms. We are proud to see how well our system has been received by CVS teachers and staff, and look forward to continuing to work with such a forward-thinking school district,” said Timothy Beekman, President and Co-founder of SAFARI Montage.

“Sentinel is proud to partner with SAFARI Montage, a leader in video education, to deliver a comprehensive solution for our long-time customer, Chippewa Valley Schools. Chippewa’s commitment to technology and excellence in the classroom aligns perfectly with everything SAFARI Montage has to offer. We are honored to be a part of such a high profile success story for not only the district but the students that will benefit from this new addition,” said Brian Osborne, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Sentinel Technologies.

For more information about SAFARI Montage, the total solution for digital media networks, please visit www.SAFARIMontage.com.

About SAFARI Montage
SAFARI Montage provides school districts with an integrated Learning Object Repository and Digital Media & Curriculum Delivery solution all wrapped into one. In addition, the solution is interoperable with virtually all classroom technology and most enterprise district systems. The full suite of integrated modules provides a single interface for users to access and manage all digital, visual resources from within the school district network or from home. And now, with the introduction of the Digital Curriculum Presenter™ (DCP) module, curriculum departments can elegantly deliver a full digital curriculum. The award-winning SAFARI Montage solution is also designed to cut costs for school districts by utilizing intelligent digital media solutions to replace traditional methods. SAFARI Montage servers come preloaded with educational video titles tied to the curriculum from the industry’s leading video publishers, which include Schlessinger Media, PBS, The History Channel, National Geographic, Scholastic, Disney Educational Production, BBC and more. In addition, school districts can easily upload and manage their own digital content, and disseminate it to all users throughout the school or district.

About Chippewa Valley Schools
As one of Michigan’s fastest growing school districts, Chippewa Valley serves more than 16,200 students in grades K-12. The Chippewa Valley School district has won several National, State and County awards and is recognized as a leader in the educational community. The district includes 12 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, 2 ninth-grade Freshman Centers and 4 high schools, including an alternative school and the county’s international baccalaureate academy. Chippewa Valley Schools take pride in their top-notch facilities and outstanding educational programs, and they are committed to preparing their students today for the challenges of tomorrow.

About Sentinel Technologies
For more than 25 years, Sentinel Technologies has been recognized as a premier business technology services provider dedicated to delivering the highest quality customer service and support. Even as our services have spanned generations of technology, Sentinel has stayed at the forefront of IT developments and maintained a singular focus on providing practical and innovative solutions. With single-source accountability, Sentinel processes and teams can efficiently address a range of IT needs - from end-to-end solutions to targeted applications. Our proven success has allowed us to expand from our original charter of providing technology maintenance services to our current standing as one of the leading IT services and solutions provider in the U.S.

About Metro Technology Services
MTS is an experienced leader in providing comprehensive technology services to K-12 and higher education institutions. We have the hands-on, in-depth knowledge of the education environment plus strong business relationships with hardware/software vendors, architectural and engineering firms. Teamwork is critical to the success of any project. Our team works with administrators and educators to plan, design, implement and support solutions that will best serve present and future technology needs. In today's climate of tighter budgets there's an ever increasing requirement to do more with less. This makes it critical that projects are done quickly, completely and in the most cost-efficient manner. These budget constraints, regulatory compliance issues and other key factors continually challenge K-12 and higher education organizations. Our project managers help ensure the success of projects through realistic system design, planning, change control and communication with all team members.