MORE THAN JUST A CLASS

By EMILY NAGLE

Brendan O'Leary records his weekly podcast.

All students at Washingtonville High School are encouraged to expand their interests given the many electives the various departments have to offer.  A favorite elective that has generated a tremendous amount of interest is the Media and Journalism class which is both an English and Art elective.  Students interested in pursuing a career in journalism or media have found that this course can be extremely beneficial in helping them prepare for life after high school.  

After entering the Media and Journalism class, there are many obstacles to overcome before being exposed to its everyday routine.  This requires hard work and focus, as it is a front loaded course. This means that the teachers, Mrs. Connolly and Mr. Leonard, introduce this course as a job, and in the first month, every lesson that will be needed throughout the entire year is taught.  Taking well written notes, and being very attentive, is the only way to be successful.  This class requires complete dedication, and, most importantly, organization.

There are twenty four available positions in the course, and those twenty four students are divided into four sections: studio crew, field crew, newsletter, and podcasting.  Upon being split into those four sections, there are also four rotations, not including the all-star round.  Each student gets to experience all four aspects of the class throughout the course of the year.

Brogan Johnson makes a schedule of the segments.

The all star round is the fifth and final rotation of the course.  This rotation is where all the skills that have been learned and practiced throughout the year are applied.  This is not an ordinary seven week rotation as this portion of the course also prepares you for life after graduation and must be auditioned for.  A resumé, and portfolio must be presented at said audition which is actually more like a job interview.  This process is very similar to how someone would apply to college or their dream job. 

Although each rotation is different, there are specific coveted leadership roles within each  section of the class.  These roles include: the coordinating producer of BGTV, the anchors of the show, editor and layout expert of the school’s blog The Washingtonville Wizard Weekly, and the podcast producer.  These leaders are in charge of overseeing the  remaining roles that are filled with members of field crew, the blog and #WIZARDNATION, our podcasting station on iTunes. 

Taking this course has been shown to benefit students even after their final episode airs.  Jack Jennings, a former Media and Journalism student and junior in college, openly expressed his past experience taking the course. “Taking this high school course helped show me what I was passionate about.  I loved everything about it, especially coming up with a story and executing it, whether it was filmed or printed.”  Jennings also indicated how it gave him an advantage over the other college students when he decided to pursue this as his college major.  “The class gave me all the tools I needed to have a solid grasp on how cameras and editing worked.” 

There is always something new to be learned, and the staff is always exploring various new ways to bring creativity to their viewers.  Brogan Johnson, a student who is currently taking the course expressed, “One thing I have gathered most from this class is the pressure of strict deadlines.  There is always something going on in Washingtonville and it is our job, as the staff of BGTV and The Wizard Weekly, to cover the events for the community to see.”  Deadlines are very important, and it is a year long priority to meet those deadlines together as a class.  Along with covering events, the class advertises upcoming occurences within the schools and community. 

The juniors at WHS are in the midst of planning their senior schedules, and one of the hardest decisions to make is how they want to spend their final year of high school.   Excitement is at an all time high as Will Donlon, a junior who foresees himself as being a “BGTVer” in the fall of 2018 proclaimed, “I have watched BGTV every week in my classes for the past three years that I have been in this high school, and it has inspired me to take the course because it looks really fun.”

EMILY NAGLE FOR THE WIZARD WEEKLY

The Media and Journalism class has done an amazing job involving everyone in the community.  Coverage is not limited to the high school; it is stretched throughout the entire district as well as the community.  In fact, Mrs. Palermo’s fifth graders from Round Hill Elementary were treated to a tour of the studio from the staff last spring of 2017. 

The class not only shapes students into becoming more responsible, but it develops the best of relationships.  This is a class students cannot afford to miss.   As a whole, students become one big family.  This class is highly recommended, and it will most definitely prepare anyone who is interested in pursuing a career in media and journalism for the future.