When the Caledonia News Network team got a grant from the Caledonia Schools Education Foundation for $1,200 in new equipment for the year, instructor Melissa Dehorn said they had to change the way they went about recording.
“We used to record while class was going on in the background, but when we got the new microphones, everything changed; you could hear everything,” she said.
To solve their noise problem, the team started filming during recess for their Monday, Wednesday and Friday show — which meant giving up recess time.
“These kids love what they are doing and are excited to work every week,” Dehorn said. “They are making sacrifices to be a part of this team and they love it.”
Behind the Scenes
Every week, directors Payton Dehorn and Joelyn Abraham assign positions for their broadcast segments including book recommendations, birthday announcements, jokes, weather, school news and classroom spotlights.
“We assign positions every week based on who would do well doing each job,” Payton said. “We switch it up.”
Some students film in the classroom in front of a green screen while another team shoots segments around school, including the weather report and classroom highlights, he said.
Added Joelyn: “We get to try out a lot of different skills and see what fun things we can do. It’s a lot of fun.”
When the Caledonia News Network team started working with their new equipment, Dehorn reached out for tips to Mike Wilson at the high school news production team.
“It’s really nice to have a sense of community like that,” Dehorn said.
In the future, the fifth-grade team hopes to cover bigger school events and get into more classrooms.
“Kids love seeing themselves on the screen,” Dehorn said. “And our kids love putting them on the screen.”
CONNECT
Reporting school news in high-def, thanks to grant
Caledonia Schools Education Foundation
