Last summer IKM-Manning High School was awarded a Timmerman Grant to update audio-visual equipment in the school auditorium. The Timmerman funds were combined with district funds to complete the project. What follows is the completion report for the grant. Special thanks go out to the Warren H. Timmerman Charitable Trust and the IKM-Manning school board for their investment in our auditorium upgrades.
2022 Timmerman Grant Completion Report
IKM-Manning Community School District
The overall goal of this project was to provide a better audio and visual experience for users of
the auditorium as well as audience members, both in person and those attending virtually, by
replacing and repairing the audio and video systems, refinishing the stage floor, and enhancing our
streaming abilities.
The funds from the Timmerman Grant were used to help purchase the updated audio and
video equipment necessary for this project. Specifically:
● $6,745.10 was spent on new audio equipment including a new digital sound board, 16-port
stage box, 8-Port desktop switch, new audio cabling, and mic jacks.
● $11,090.72 was spent on new video equipment including a new laser projector with zoom lens,
HDMI switcher, and 2 HDMI inputs.
The IKM-Manning School District contributed additional funds to this project. The equipment
listed above exceeded the $10,000 grant proceeds by more than $7,800, which was covered by the
school. Other expenses covered by the school included:
● All labor costs for the installation and testing of the new equipment $9611.90.
● Refinishing of the stage floor $10,000
● Electronic projection screen $10,000
● Removal of wall between video and sound booths (completed by maintenance staff)
The school district has also agreed to additional improvements that have not been completed
yet but are scheduled with Iowa Audio Video, the same company that performed the other
improvements.
● The existing audio lines were discovered to be poorly installed and repeatedly spliced creating
feedback and external noise in the audio lines and out through the speakers. The school has
decided to spend an additional $1200 to have the lines fully replaced.
● The streaming system currently in place in the auditorium needs $6000 in upgrades, which
includes 2 new cameras and a streaming box that will improve the quality of the video and
audio.
Even though the system upgrades are still not 100% completed, we have been able to utilize them in
numerous ways to date:
● In mid-March, we were able to use the new video and audio systems for our first concert. This
concert was shortly after the All-State Large Group Speech competition where we were
selected for the Critic’s Choice award in both the Short Film and TV News categories. We had
six entries chosen for All-State.
○ That night, we showed our state-winning TV News broadcast before the concert using
the new projector and projection screen while connected to the new sound system. It
was a theatre-like performance with the extra-large screen and laser projector with
surround-sound audio. What an incredible upgrade!.
○ Our fine arts students then gave a band and choir Pops Concert to a packed house.
The new soundboard was used to enhance the audio quality in the room.
○ While the students transformed the stage from the choir portion to the band portion, we
played our All-State Radio News broadcast for the audience's listening pleasure.
○ After the band portion of the Pops Concert, we showed all four of our All-State Short
Films, ending with the state-winning short film.
○ During the various sections, we were able to explain the upgrades that had been made
to the auditorium, thanks to the contributions from the Timmerman grant and from the
school board.
● At the end of March, we had 2 performances of the school play titled, “Jolly Roger and the
Pirate Queen.” We were able to use virtual backdrops for the various scenes and added a few
other stage pieces to set the scenes that varied from a 1790s Philadelphia mansion garden to
the deck of several pirate ships to the beach of a tropical island to a cave on the island. The
screen and projector covered three-fourths of the width of the stage and created an amazing
setting from which our students entertained the audience.
● In April, we had three more band and choir concerts featuring various age groups. Each
concert was packed almost to capacity and we learned to use our new stage box for the
audience while we wait for the mic line upgrades to be made.
● In April, we also host two FFA events. The first was a regional FFA contest. The auditorium
was used in the culmination of the event and hosted all the contestants and their coaches from
around the region. At the end of April, the local FFA chapter held their annual banquet and
awards ceremony. The awards ceremony was held in the auditorium and we learned to
program a special podium mic with the new soundboard, which is a switch from the previous
system. They also showed a year-in-review slide show using the screen and projector.
● Coming up in May, we are excited to host The 712 Film Festival in the auditorium featuring
student and professional films as part of the community event called Masterpiece Manning:
Encounter with the Arts. We will also host our annual awards ceremony where we recognize
the academic, fine arts, and scholarship achievements of our students. Finally, we have one
more student concert before dismissing for the summer.
Most importantly, for all of these events, we have been able to teach students to run this
state-of-the-art equipment and make live adjustments during the performances.