Lights, Camera, Action

When prospective students and their parents tour Hawk Ridge Elementary School in Charlotte, NC, their longest stop is always in the media center. What's the attraction? They're drawn to our student-run TV studio, from which we broadcast live, 15-minute, daily morning news programs to our classes.

I arrived as Hawk Ridge's first media specialist four years ago with the main goal of building an audiovisual (AV) production room in the library. I ran a similar program at my previous school for six years and saw what an important means of communication it was for students. It was also a wonderful way to integrate technology and education, while enabling our K–5 students to gain hands-on broadcast experience, build confidence, and learn more about responsibility. Since Hawk Ridge was a new school and all of our students had transferred from different locations, the AV room served as a great way to unify the student body.

Creating an AV room is easier than it sounds. I lucked out on two fronts: Hawk Ridge was already wired with closed-circuit TV, and the district supplied us with a Panasonic VHS camera. To get our AV room up and running, all I needed were lights, several microphones, a painted backdrop, a stage, and an anchor desk and chair.

When starting your own AV production room, remember that technical problems are bound to happen. I had to send our camera out for repair because students had bent or tripped over the cord so often that the connection became loose. Lighting is very important—look for the brightest spot in the library and make sure light comes from behind the camera. Purchase standing lights on tripods if you're not allowed to hang them or if your studio isn't in a fixed location. A digital video camera, which may be purchased for as little as $450, works best and is easy to use. Video cameras come with their own built-in microphones, but you may want to purchase audio mikes to attach to your announcers. I've found that a blue or gray background shows up best on video because VHS cameras focus on light images.

It's best to build your studio one step at a time; it took several years to complete mine. I recruited my husband and a carpenter friend to help build a stage and the anchor's desk for about $800. We used two-foot by six-foot lumber to build the frame and covered it with particleboard and self-sticking tiles. We added a sturdy desk topped with a kitchen-counter laminate. The desk's backsplash hid the new multidirectional microphones, which are smaller than computer mice. High-grade plywood covered the front and sides. Trim was added along the baseboards and around the desk. Circles were cut through the laminate and computer-wire channels were added. In all, I spent some $3,500 on equipment and supplies, excluding the lighting installation (which was paid for by the district). The money was raised by the PTA and from book fairs.

Once our studio was ready to broadcast, students lined up to join the news crew. Participants are told to arrive at 8:20 a.m., 10 minutes before airtime. That doesn't leave much time for rehearsal, hence we tend to have our worst shows on Mondays. Our daily lineup is the same each day: the announcer recites the pledge of allegiance and talks about special school events and the day's birthdays. Occasionally, the principal or teachers will make an announcement. Students are selected for various weekly positions—fourth and fifth graders are designated announcers because they're old enough to handle difficult words and hard-to-pronounce names. Kindergarteners and first graders report the weather, second and third graders present the menu, and third to fifth graders act as directors, controlling the closed-circuit equipment and giving the signal to begin or end. A tall fourth or fifth grader operates the camera. The anchor chair has become so popular that I've had to create an application process, which is posted on our Web site. Students must write a paragraph explaining why they want the job, and parental and teacher permission is a must. With interest like this, it's little wonder our media center has become the school's most popular destination.