Washingtonville High School seniors are creating content for Media and Journalism class

Seniors at Washingtonville High School were working hard in the field and behind the scenes to create impactful content during their Media and Journalism class on Monday morning. For this course, students create a variety of media weekly to enhance their desires and skills.

The class is run by English teacher Kelly Connolly and media arts teacher John Waldie. The course is designed not only to introduce students to the basics of journalism and media writing, but also to introduce them to the design and execution aspects of modern media outlets. The skill base course is meant to expand students’ relationship with the community, while keeping up with the expanding realm of multimedia communication.

Throughout the course of the class, students are able to explore different means of media and the positions that are held in those sectors, such as executive producers and journalists. The class dives into the realms of podcasting, newsletters, film crew and studio; allowing students to experience all of these aspects in six week rotations. 

“My favorite part has been being able to put our own spin on it,” said Vanessa Moran, a senior at WHS who is an anchor for BGTV. “The first week we started off standing in the studio and using a different background. Each week, we’ve been changing it; now we’re sitting down, we’re wearing our blazers. It gives a fun aspect to it” 

Previously, the students have covered a wide range of topics including the Washingtonville bowling team, Humane Society of Blooming Grove cat adoption event, early voting, and more. 

The class Monday morning started off with students currently in the newsletter section sharing their moodboards for story ideas. They received feedback from their teachers and peers as they navigated through this week's edition before Thanksgiving break. 

Derek Perri, the On the Street Correspondent for the studio, was in the cafeteria interviewing students and staff with questions, testing their knowledge to see if they are smarter than a fifth grader. He received questions to ask interviewees from Dina Martirano’s fifth grade class, who gave him insightful questions such as “Can you name four constellations?” and “How many tenths are in the number 1,246,976?” 

Viewers can tune into the class’s three dynamic media platforms each week by visiting the BGTV site here: HOME | Wizard's Scoop