Over the past few months, students at Coronado High School have been working on upgrading classroom Zoom broadcasts to a more professional environment. A team of students from all grade levels are running the show with Ms. Evenson as their staff leader. The broadcast’s official name is “Islander Insider.”
As of now the broadcasting team has worked on video packages containing information on student news, clubs, sports, and current school events. Islander Insider will basically cover anything related to Coronado High School. Abby Ross, CHS junior, says that the broadcast will also include “individual focuses on special classes, students, or anybody at CHS having an impact.”
The broadcast premiered on Wednesday, February 15th, with packages on graduation requirements and the new CoSA play. In the future the team will produce live broadcasts and also include the video packages they made during the school week. Members hope to have the broadcast officially live in March of this year, but they are still awaiting some equipment. Until the live segments commence the video segments will continue.
The plan is to show the broadcast after second period on Wednesdays during homeroom. “We’re starting from scratch and our amazing teacher Ms. Evenson has put so much work into this and I’m so excited for students to see the broadcast,” says Ross.
Broadcasting will be a future elective class that students can take with Ms. Evenson. Students will be able to get school elective credit for doing something they are passionate about — a win-win. There is a modern digital studio right on the Coronado High campus where student participants have access to professional equipment (cameras, lighting, sound) that will be needed to make the show.
The elective class is great to try both for those with an interest in film, broadcasting, or journalism, and also for those without a great interest in these fields, as the class is a fun and new experience that helps unite the school in a professional environment. Students take on roles of what people in a real life news studio would do. Ross says that she wanted to join the team “…because [of] my love for film, but broadcasting journalism specifically. I love the process of everything from making packages of things going around the school to getting ready for a live broadcast.” She aspires to have her role on the team be to put out packages that people genuinely care about and will have an impact on students and faculty alike.
The broadcast also gives students lots of power in terms of how the show is runs. Gigi Dugas, CHS senior, says her role is co-executive producer. Dugas adds, “Essentially, when the teacher (Ms. Evenson) is out of the class, Hannah [Fabiszak] and I are next in charge. We are also supposed to make a lot of final decisions of what will be shown on the broadcast.” By taking this elective, students can learn about editing, interviewing, filming, and more.
