Lights, Camera, Action! The Broadcasting program continues to grow with the help of Communication Arts Adviser Miss Hade and the dedicated students.

Students are able to learn about advertising, journalism, and TV and video production.

“Intro to Broadcasting has 12 weeks to learn[all broadcasting things], including the laws and ethics of knowing what you can and cannot publish, similar to Digital Media,” said Hade. “We cover the principles of journalism, with the first rule of journalism being freedom of speech and freedom of expression.”

Broadcasting is offered at two levels: Intro to Broadcasting and Advanced Broadcasting. Intro is being held during 3rd hour and Advanced during 4th, but they do run together during lunch.

To begin, a student must take Intro to Broadcasting. This class involves producing public service announcements, commercials for schools and businesses, writing news and feature stories, and short films.

Hade started her first broadcasting class during the 2012-2013 school year. Creating this class was the collective idea of Journalism Adviser Mr. Woodruff and Hade. It started with gaining funds from the district’s technology bond, which allowed them to implement the Digital Media class, and after a few years would open doors for Broadcasting.

This class is not just about journalism and TV. The students try to connect to social media as well, recreating old viral videos and vines.

Each student gets a segment of their own for each show, called the Mountie Nation Station, and they take turns switching who anchors the segments. The shows can be anything from comedic to informative, depending on what the students choose to do.

“Right now, we are starting to do a regular show every other Wednesday,” said senior Sean Kusch. “Everyone has their own assignments and regular shows. Everyone does two, each show being about 15 minutes long.”

Kusch and his father, Brian Kusch, helped build the broadcasting room. His father, who is a broadcast engineer, motivated him to take the class.

Taking Advanced Broadcasting also helped Kusch decide what he would like to do after he graduates. The curriculum helps students gain experience working in any production including TV shows, commercials, and different types of video production.

Sophomore Jordan Tenney was in initially put into Introduction to Broadcasting to fill a gap in her schedule. She now enjoys making and finding amusing videos on Youtube.

“We just finished PSA’s, which are public service announcements. Now we are starting commercials for businesses or pretty much anything we are interested in,” said Tenney.

After a successful first year with the program, Hade wanted to improve and expand the program for this school year. Not only did they inherit new equipment, like the anchor desk donated by MSU, but the Broadcasting team now has a website where they share their work. It can be found at www.useducationtv.com by selecting “Find a School”, “Search by State”, and choosing Northwest High School.