Rockingham County Public Schools

Jokingly, SHS junior Jon Forish offers visitors to his Photojournalism II class a season pass for $14.99. And after seeing two of their 30-minute weekly broadcasts called “No Other Channel,” it’s clear that Jon’s price is an absolute bargain.

This talented mixture of sophomores, juniors, and seniors provides a unique and highly entertaining show every Friday morning at 8:25 to the Spotswood High School student body through its closed circuit television system. A fact not to be ignored is that each NOC broadcast is LIVE. Two student anchors and no fewer than four behind-the-camera students are responsible for orchestrating the weekly show whose format consists of the anchors’ introducing video clips produced during the previous weeks.

“I’m so proud of them,” photojournalism teacher, Debbie Pugh, comments after a recent broadcast with a smile that shows a genuine love for watching her students perform successfully. As a journalist, photographer, broadcast engineer, college instructor, and now in her first year at Spotswood, Ms. Pugh draws upon her wide array of experiences to further this program that was initiated over 10 years ago by former SHS teacher, Pam Bailey.

Through class assignments, she offers her students a range of experiences with the chance to develop skills that benefit them in many ways, not the least of which is to make them attractive to journalism and media-focused college programs such as JMU’s School of Media Arts and Design (SMAD).

Take a tour of the SHS "No Other Channel" studio with senior Ben Surber as he describes their equipment and facilities.

Video produced in the Fall of '07 by RCPS Technology Staff member, Joe Showker.

Each 30-minute weekly production represents a culmination of hours of hard work during the previous weeks as the students complete their video assignments in order to air them on the show. In producing the clips, the students learn to carry out all phases needed for their films – camera work, video editing, writing, interviewing, reporting, critiquing, and even acting. Despite the number of hours required to produce their videos, the students definitely see this as a labor of love.

“It’s a great class … a great learning experience. You have to get things done by deadlines and learn to work as a team,” explains Peter Jackson, a senior who plans to further his education in this field at JMU’s SMAD.

Senior Caitlin Salcedo adds that experiences in front of the camera, both through live anchoring spots and on recorded video clips each week, are among the valuable experiences gained through the course. “It really can help with public speaking, self-esteem, and self-expression,” she notes. Fellow class member and co-anchor Shane Grandle echoes Caitlin’s sentiments. “We learn a lot about communication,” adds the junior who looks ahead to a career in broadcast journalism.

While the products they air give an impression that they are working in a highly sophisticated production studio, nothing could be farther from the truth. The students actually do a lot with very little.

“That’s the challenge,” admits Ms. Pugh, “finding and securing enough resources in order to build the program.” The students work in a small, modestly equipped, retrofit classroom with hardware that is beginning to show its age. Yet, through this, their ingenuity shines.

“It’s not supposed to be this way, but we make it work,” laughs senior Jordan Baker who points to the intricate system of wiring strung throughout the room. Ms. Pugh notes that it was Jordan who expertly determined how they could connect their computers to their CCTV system in order to bypass a time-consuming recording process each week. Now, they pump their digital video clips from the computers straight through to the classrooms each Friday morning. “And we used to record the anchors and edit it all together. Now, we can switch between the camera and the videos and do the show live,” Jordan explains. Ms. Pugh points out that this piece of equipment, the “switcher,” was salvaged somewhere by former journalism teacher, John Knauf, from a pile of equipment that was bound for the trash.

Each "No Other Channel" show treats viewers to a variety of clips, sometimes serious, sometimes humorous. Topics necessarily cover the spectrum, as well, ranging from such issues as teenage drug abuse to continuing episodes of Ben Surber as the popular SHS character, Bdizzy (in hat, at left.)

While the viewer may not be aware, the clips contain varying assignment requirements each week, use of a special camera technique called a Dutch angle, as an example. And for Friday shows, the students swap roles as anchors, timers, camera operators, and other responsibilities so that all have a variety of learning experiences in the live broadcast.

Two class members have teamed to win awards, including top honors in a national competition. Juniors Josh Gooden and Ted Meyer won first place in the 2007 Technology Student Association National Conference film technology competition in Nashville, Tennessee last June with a video, Life, in which two boys play the popular board game and see their lives play out as they did in the game.

Josh, the film’s director, describes its theme, "It’s all about making choices in life and that money isn’t everything."

The 5-minute production includes many of the photojournalism students as actors and extras in the film.

So my school placed 3rd in nationals, and I was anxious to see the 1st place video... I have got to say, the theme and everything about this video is soo real and true... And the ending really hit me hard, I had tears forming in my eyes because this is not made up. You guys definitely deserved 1st place, and I congratulate you! Best wishes.

-- Linh Trinh, SCTSA State President

Currently, they’re involved in this year’s TSA competition with a new piece, A Second Chance, to foster awareness of and compassion for the homeless. In filming this, Josh put $100 of his own money into developing and building a camera dolly in order to create smooth camera movements when shooting the film’s footage. A professional dolly would cost $1,000 and up but he made his own with 36"x36" plywood, angle aluminum, inline skate wheels, and PVC pipe.

Sometimes, however, there's no inexpensive way to achieve quality. Josh explains that this film, A Second Chance, was shot using a 35MM adapter for his video camera, a $6,000 attachment he purchased.

Professional video equipment is hugely expensive but these costs are clearly an investment in an assuredly bright future, according to his teacher.

"Josh is a young man who really is on a path to achieve his dreams," Ms. Pugh says of her student who has already established his own business, 91st Studios, with clients for whom he produces commercials and designs web sites. And with a pilot's license, Josh also offers aerial video and still photography as part of his professional portfolio.