For the past three years students at Scarborough Middle School have learned about their school through the voices of their fellow students, during a weekly newscast called WSMS News.
Computer teacher Leslie Walker and a rotating crew of students brings the 20-minute weekly news segment to the televisions in every middle school classrooms and onto Scarborough public access television each week.
They film the program every Tuesday during the school year. Beginning at about 2 p.m. a group of students pack into a small room located off the computer room to produce the segment.
Walker directs the production, but students undertake most of the work including anchoring the show, working the camera, music and video controls.
“It’s the kids’ show, put on by the kids, run by the kids; I’m the supervisor,” Walker said.
WSMS News is very popular with students, who credit Walker’s hard work for improving the program and making it a success.
The students participating in the program said they like seeing the recognition they receive for their work in the credits as well as seeing their faces on the screen when they anchor.
“It’s just seeing your face on Thursday,” said sixth grader Michelle Currier as to why she likes working on he program. “I like having my name on the credits.”
Eric Johnson has been working on the news since January and assists getting the newer crewmembers acclimated with the tasks associated with recording the program. His main focus is working on the show’s introduction. “The introduction is a very important job; it’s the first thing they see on the news,” he said.
But Johnson said every job on the program is important and everyone has to work hard to make a quality product that people want to see. “Without the whole crew the news is nothing,” he said. “Each individual part is important on its own.”
Each news segment focuses on students and the various activities at Scarborough Middle School. These range from athletic events to the annual art show to classroom presentations. Some segments include video shots and other pictures taken at an event and incorporated into a PowerPoint presentation.
The central theme is showing students as much as possible with pictures and names. A recent segment included a story on the Students of the Quarter and featured pictures of each student and their name under it.
“The basic thing we’re looking to do is highlight kids,” Walker said.
Walker said there is not enough time to do the video or take pictures herself and teachers or parents submit nearly everything featured in the program. It provides a great deal of variety to the weekly newscasts.
“Every week is different,” Walker said. “It depends on what is going on in the building.”
Telling not only their fellow classmates, but also the entire community about what is new and interesting at Scarborough Middle School in a compelling way is the best part of the news, the students said.
“The only thing we had (in elementary school) was a bulletin board, which was boring,” Johnson said. “Here we have a true multimedia experience.”
In addition to having fun and being recognized for their work the students are learning a lot. They not only become familiar with production equipment, but also learn how to work as a team to produce something that people will enjoy.
“They have to be ready because if the computer needs to go and equipment needs to go they have to pull it together,” Walker said.
Since the program is an extracurricular there is a limited budget for supplies and Walker raises money for it by collecting empty ink cartridges and then selling them. In addition, Community Services has been generous in donating equipment.
But despite the busy Tuesday afternoon and the occasional lost Monday in order to prepare for the show, the job is worth the effort.
“I really enjoy it,” Walker said. “It has been very rewarding.”
Each newscast is shown on Thursday at the school and also runs on Scarborough public access channel 2 on Fridays at 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday and 1 a.m., 7 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Michelle Currier and Eric Johnson working on the latest edition of WSMS News at Scarborough High School on Tuesday afternoon.Send questions/comments to the editors.
