Wednesday, December 14, 2005

NEIGHBORS >> Video with class

By SARA GREENE
Leader staff writer

Cabot High School students learn the art of broadcasting

Cabot High School recently premiered the television program CHTV (Cabot High School Television) created by the school’s radio and television-broadcasting students.

The 15-minute-long program airs on Cebridge Cable Channel 15 at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday nights. It features segments such as athlete of the week and senior spotlight as well as news about the school and community.

“I enjoy being on camera and interviewing people,” said Shannon O’Nale, 16. “It’s fun and you get to experience new things.”
The radio and television broadcasting program at Cabot High School was created in August when the school got a 12 foot-by-12 foot video screen with the scoreboard at the new fieldhouse at Panther Stadium.

“The biggest challenge was such a short time span to get everything together for the class,” says Chuck Massey, the radio and television-broadcasting instructor. Massey also teaches choir.

Since the school did not know exactly when the video scoreboard would be installed, the radio and television broadcasting class was not offered to students last spring.

“In August, when we decided to offer the class, we contacted students in the mass communication courses to see if they wanted to take it,” Massey said.

Currently the class, which is part of the workforce education curriculum at Cabot High School, has 25 students enrolled in it.
Massey said he anticipates the class growing to 100 students next year when the classroom and studio is moved into the new high school building.

“This is what I want my career to be,” said Sarah Shelton, 16.

When school started, the first step for students was learning television-broadcasting terminology before getting hands-on experience with the cameras and editing equipment by filming high school football games.

As some students operated the cameras filming all the action on the field, other students in the field house’s studio broadcasted the instant replays, advertisements and announcements that appeared on the video screen. Additionally, the class formatted footage of two of the games that were broadcast on Cebridge Cable.

Now that football season is over, students have been putting together footage for the CHTV program.
Upcoming projects for the class include doing a MTV Crib’s style program showing off the new field- house.
Later this spring, Massey says the television broadcast class will work with the drama and theater department on a student film festival.
“I enjoy the editing process,” said Josh Lee, 18.

“It’s a challenge making group decisions sometimes, we all have different ideas but we’re all on the same team.”