At Monticello Trails Middle School, located in the heart of USD 232 in Shawnee, Kansas, communication is a team sport. Digital signage isn’t managed by a tech director or IT specialist—it’s run by two of the busiest people in the building: Stephanie, the building secretary, and Gina, the building aide. Between handling attendance, front desk responsibilities, and anything else the day throws at them, they’ve also become the heart of the school’s communication strategy.
So how did they end up managing the school’s digital signage?
“We inherited it,” Stephanie shared with a smile. “Our computer teacher had done most of it before, and then when we switched over to Rise, we just kind of took it over. Because of our roles, we were more in the loop on what was happening in the building.”
Their positions in the front office gave them a unique view into the daily life of the school—and a sense of what needed to be shared. “We knew what was going on,” Stephanie explained. “We knew there were things that needed to be advertised and communicated, so we just took it on ourselves.”
Monticello Trails and USD 232 made the switch from Carousel and Apple TVs to Rise Vision to streamline their school-wide communication.
Like so many other schools, Monticello Trails Middle School was looking for a better way to communicate with their students and staff in a timely, engaging way. They needed something reliable, fast, and flexible—something that could be updated quickly, used across multiple screens, and would actually capture students’ attention.
Before Rise Vision, the school had TVs and Apple TVs, but the experience was clunky. “We were using Apple TVs, and it was just harder to manage,” Stephanie said. “We couldn’t schedule content. It wasn’t easy to use.”
The school had digital displays, but the process of getting content onto them was inefficient. Their goal was simple: reach students where they are, in hallways and common areas, with clear and current messages.
Their transition to Rise Vision was made even smoother thanks to the Rise Vision media players as part of Rise Vision’s Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS) offering.
Those HaaS players made all the difference. “Compared to the Apple TVs, the Rise Vision players are way smoother,” said Stephanie. “We never have to restart them, they just work. That reliability alone makes our lives easier.”
The school now runs four Rise Vision displays consistently throughout the year, with additional screens brought out for special events and school functions.
At Monticello Trails Middle School, digital signage is more than just a display—it’s a dynamic hub of daily communication that connects students and staff with what’s happening throughout the building. Stephanie and Gina have created a system that is timely, relevant, and engaging, all while keeping things fun and flexible.
“We want [the content] to be as up to date as possible,” said Stephanie. “Instead of letting something run for a month, we could put something up for two days to blast something out—and then take it down.”
This shift toward more agile, day-to-day messaging has made digital signage more relevant and useful to the school community. Unlike traditional, static announcements, Stephanie and Gina have turned the displays into living, breathing touch points for real-time updates. From sharing upcoming meetings to highlighting fun spirit days, their goal is to make every message count.
“We’ve made it more applicable to what’s going on weekly,” Stephanie explained. “Gina does the daily weather, the lunch menus, and the weekly schedule. When we have games or alternate schedules, we can get that up there really quickly. I do more of the meeting-type stuff and special events.”
Gina added that the visual appeal of the content really makes a difference for their middle school audience. “I use the Rise program to post the lunch menus. You guys have a good one that’s colorful and fun—these are middle schoolers, so that kind of stuff really catches their eye,” she said. “They’ve made a lot of comments about it. You’ll see them just standing there, watching the TV.”
Beyond the everyday logistics, the displays also spotlight community-building events. While the team doesn’t do individual birthday shoutouts due to the size of the school and privacy concerns, they do take time to recognize special appreciation days.
“We’ll post for things like [School Resource Officer] or Custodian Day,” said Stephanie. “And we like the countdowns too—like we had a spring break countdown going on.”
Gina has also started using the “History - On This Day” template from Rise Vision to keep things fresh. “It’s a great way to add something interesting to the day,” she said.
This consistent, engaging, and student-friendly approach has made their signage feel less like background noise and more like an essential part of the school culture. Their attention to timely, visually appealing content has earned plenty of positive feedback—and even a few captivated student audiences.
Managing digital signage at Monticello Trails Middle School doesn’t require a big time commitment, but Stephanie and Gina still put thought and creativity into keeping it fresh and engaging.
Each morning, Gina spends about 10 minutes updating the daily weather. “[Gina makes] it look cute though,” Stephanie pointed out, acknowledging the extra effort Gina puts into making the screens visually appealing.
On Fridays, Gina spends a bit more time—around 20 to 30 minutes—preparing content for the upcoming week, especially when working in Canva. “It just depends on what all I’m doing in Canva, 'cause there’s so much editing in that,” she said. “Which I enjoy doing—that part of it is fun.”
Stephanie estimates that, between the two of them, they spend about an hour and a half per week on digital signage updates.
Despite the minimal time investment, their efforts make a big impact. With a mix of scheduled updates and quick, real-time additions, they ensure the screens remain useful and engaging without becoming a burden on their already-busy schedules.
Rise Vision’s built-in time-saving features make it easy to stay up to date—keeping signage content fresh without spending hours in front of a screen.
Here are a few Rise Vision templates that are time-savers:
These tools allow users to keep content dynamic and engaging—while spending just a few minutes a day on updates.
At Monticello Trails Middle School, the digital signage setup isn’t just practical—it’s also flexible. Stephanie and Gina oversee four main displays that run continuously throughout the school day:
These four TVs all display the same schedule throughout the school day, keeping messaging consistent and easy to manage. But where the system really shines is during special events.
The school also has mobile TVs and a large projection screen that drops down on the stage. These additional displays are used for after-hours events, including:
For these occasions, Stephanie creates custom schedules. Using Rise Vision’s scheduling tools, it’s simple to switch gears. Stephanie can temporarily override the main content on selected screens with special event content—without disrupting the regular day-to-day signage.
“It’s really simple to create a whole separate program. I tell it to overwrite our main one. I tell it when I want it to run, and we turn it on—and there it is.”
This ability to create and automate custom schedules gives Monticello Trails the flexibility to keep communication relevant and tailored to the audience—whether it’s students at lunch or parents visiting after hours.
Digital signage can often seem like a technical tool that requires IT experience or specialized skills. Stephanie and Gina are proof that with the right platform, anyone can do it.
“We’re not tech experts,” Stephanie emphasized. “But we don’t need to be. Rise Vision is just easy.”
They’ve also seen what’s possible when communication tools are fun to use. “We love using Rise Vision to communicate quickly and easily with students, staff, and parents,” said Gina.
Their favorite features?
Monticello Trails Middle School offers a model for schools of all sizes: digital signage doesn’t have to be complicated, and when it’s done well, it can transform school-wide communication.
Here are a few key takeaways for other schools considering digital signage:
Monticello Trails Middle School shows us what happens when communication becomes a shared responsibility and a creative outlet. For Stephanie, Gina, and the entire USD 232 team, Rise Vision isn’t just a platform—it’s a part of the school culture.
As Stephanie and Gina put it:
“The Rise platform is streamlined, and multiple users can work on the same schedules at once, allowing even more information to be distributed. It’s fast and hassle-free to make special content for events and set a new temporary schedule. Keeping the displays dynamic and engaging helps keep everyone in the know. And, it’s fun to use!”
Interested in how your school can use Rise Vision? Book a free demo today.