Fran Thompson, principal of Jonathan Law High School, can barely contain his excitement when talking about the recent transformation of the school’s library media center into a space that melds academic support programs with a 21st century learning environment for students. Dubbed the Teaching and Learning Commons, it includes the typical sections found in a library plus quiet study rooms, a student lounge, and areas for presentations, group projects, and tutoring. Soon to be added are a makerspace (what author and educator John Spenser calls, “a space designed and dedicated to hands-on activity,”) and a student-run IT center. Its focus on collaboration, creativity, and group learning opportunities made the space a natural choice for the new home of Eagle Eye News, the school’s daily news program, says Thompson. In addition to the broadcast studio, the area includes a podcast room and editing suite that is accessible to all students.
Eagle Eye News is a component of the Broadcast Journalism class which has been offered in the Milford high school program of studies for six years. Principal Thompson calls it a staple at Jonathan Law and credits teacher Chris Kulenych, who worked in the journalism field before becoming an educator, with making it a student-led learning opportunity. “It has ignited the passion of students to pursue journalism, communications, broadcasting, and writing and reporting using web-based platforms,” Thompson shares.
As the final course of four offered in the Journalism sequence, the Broadcast Journalism class aims to give students real-world and hands-on opportunities to examine the elements of television production. For Kulenych’s part, the beauty of Eagle Eye News is that it’s totally student run. Students are responsible for the creation of content, camera and studio control room work, behind the scenes jobs as producers, directors and floor managers and on-air positions such as news reporters and talk show hosts––all part of the daily 7-minute news production viewed live in every classroom and streamed on YouTube. “The kids love the hands-on stuff,” Kulenych says, and adds that being such a central part of the school, the news program helps boost morale while keeping parents and students informed.
Michael Loschiavo, a senior news anchor, agrees on the benefits of having a daily news program which shares varied content and information with the school community in an exciting way. Features include morning announcements, updates on school lunches, sports and other activities taking place around the school, and guest speakers. “I love the fact that we make videos for the community and for our school to see,” says Loschiavo.
Another highlight of the course is its partnership with Fox 61 Student News. The nationally recognized program offers professional guidance and support to journalism students and teachers through training workshops and access to software. Through the program, students create their own news stories that are shared on Fox 61 News social media platforms and aired weekly on its news program. Loschiavo and classmates Amira Samih, Samara Thacker, and Pam Ellison collaborated on a video about the Fairfield Police Explorers, an organization Michael participates in. The team won $2,500 in the “Hard News” category at last year’s awards ceremony.
Eden van Waveren, another senior, notes the varied activities and projects Broadcast Journalism students undertake. While she is quick to say Eagle Eye News is the best part of the class, she enjoys creating videos on topics of interest which are shared on social media and within the school. For students who may not have access to social media, she sees Eagle Eye News as a way for them to stay in the loop of what’s happening in the school community.
One of several hosts who rotate through the news program, working in pairs, van Waveren cites the collaboration among students as the biggest benefit of the class, pointing out that teamwork is what makes each episode possible. “Even smaller video projects we create, outside of the news production, involves a lot of collaboration between students in and out of our broadcast journalism class. This has helped me work in a group environment while learning new skills from my classmates such as angle shots while filming and editing skills,” she shares.
While the faces up-front are often the most visible, there are many behind-the-scene responsibilities that are vital to the daily production. Senior Jay Rajani, a director and producer of Eagle Eye News, admits he is not one who likes to be in the limelight. He’s grateful for the background work needed to make each episode a success and underscores the importance of those students who make sure everything is in place and ready to go at airtime. Rajani says being able to go live “is an amazing experience…especially now with YouTube stream.”
A challenge for Kulenych has been raising the bar each year in what has become a very popular class. He recalls the news program started 12 years ago with one camera, one set and budget graphics. The Eagle Eye News suite now has two rooms: a “newsroom” painted green so students can use the walls for green screen editing, and a podcast studio and digital media “Mac Lab” for editing. Two portable sets and sophisticated equipment complete the setup, allowing for flexibility and enhanced creativity. Perhaps the most exciting feature of the newsroom, if you ask Principal Thompson, is the window-wall shared with the Teaching and Learning Commons where students and staff can view Eagle Eye News in production a la New York City style!
It’s clear that the broadcast experience and opportunity for creative expression provided to students, plus the excitement of using state of the art technology to connect with classmates and peers, makes the Eagle Eye News a vital part of their high school experience.
