Small screen, big dreams

Local high schools adopt video broadcast curriculum with help of DTC

It’s time to roll out the red carpet. While most television shows have always had celebrity casts, you just might be watching the next big star on DTC3.

Through a partnership with DTC, students in audiovisual classes at each of the five area high schools get weekly TV airtime to share the latest school news, sports and other local content — all while they discover new possibilities for their futures.

“Everyone’s family isn’t from Gordonsville,” Gordonsville High School teacher Sabrina Knowles says. “Now they can see what’s happening at their grandchild’s school and watch videos from events like prom. It’s a class where everyone gets to be themselves, build confidence and take ownership in their school.”

With new local content on the small screen, the partnership is a win-win. “It’s gives the community a great perspective because no one can tell these stories as good as the students themselves. They’re living it every day,” DTC Video Production Supervisor Nick Nokes says.

Getting started

While they’re at varying levels of providing additional content, like sporting events, each high school produces a weekly news segment to air on DTC3.

“We’ve started to branch out beyond football games,” Watertown teacher Lucas Miller says. “We filmed the soccer, baseball, softball and basketball games. Now we’re trying to get into wrestling. We’re actually about to start a new aspect with drones for football games.”

In class, students learn the fundamentals of television production, including on-air skills, video editing, lighting, audio mixing, photography, graphic design, script writing and even social media promotion.

“Our newest endeavor is trying to make hype videos for the sports teams,” DeKalb County teacher Lisa Craig says. “The students were so surprised when they found out DTC3 wanted to air the content. Whether it’s learning new equipment or using the green screen, I’m excited just watching their excitement.”

Some area high schools had existing AV programs, while others started fresh with the help of DTC in the 2022-23 school year. Nokes typically visits a school every few weeks to help students with any technical questions, offer general advice and teach storytelling techniques.

“Every school is starting at a different place,” Nokes says. “On a recent visit, some students were picking my brain about interviews, and I mentioned that a good interview starts with a good question. It has to be open-ended, so there can’t just be a one-word response. It’s always fun to see students show an interest in an area that you work in every day.”

At Cannon County High School, what’s functioned as a video club for the 2022-23 school year will soon convert to an official class. “We’re going to have a recording room and a place for editing,” Cannon County student Connor Rodgers says. “Sometimes it’s tough right now, because we don’t have an official class period to do the work, so this way we’ll be able to spend more time on the videos and expand what we do next year.”

Cultivating new career opportunities

Through the partnership the schools have seen increased student interest in video production and the possibility of students pursuing it as professionals. “I want to make sure we give students an opportunity to learn skills they can use in college and for their career,” Smith County teacher JR Smith says. “We’re starting small because we just became an AV program this past year, so we’re still cultivating it and learning how to tell a good story.”

For Gordonsville’s Knowles, the audiovisual program is similar to her school’s band or welding classes. “They’re learning so much in high school,” she says. “These unique classes are so important to their development because they allow students to explore new careers they may not have known about beforehand. I’m grateful to offer this program to our students.”

And producing content for a local television channel doesn’t hurt. “They absolutely love that what they’re producing is getting out there and people are watching it on TV,” Miller says. “I’ve talked to several students who are looking into programs for college, so it’s not only that they have this sort of excitement for the class, but they also look at it as a career.”

Seeing more young people interested in video programs is also gratifying to Nokes. “To think these students got their start in this AV program, and DTC helped open the door for a new career possibility, that’s awesome,” he says. “It’s one thing to post a video online, but to be sitting at home in your living room and your work is on TV, that’s pretty cool.”

With the success experienced by the schools and DTC, that appreciation is shared on both sides. “DTC has given us a great opportunity, and we hope to keep improving and keep doing more to grow,” Cannon County teacher Lani Spigolon says.