Elgin Public Students Use Grant To Spread The News

In recent years, the way people share and spread news has changed dramatically thanks to the rise of social media and the internet. However, one local school has decided to learn at the ground floor of media coverage.

Students at Elgin Public now have the opportunity to share news with the world through their brand new broadcasting class.

Taught by Stacy Shumake-Henn, the class was made possible through grant money that the school was given. When trying to decide what to do with it, they decided that broadcasting equipment would be the perfect technology, as that includes things that the students will use in everyday life, according to senior Carter Schindler.

“We thought that we might want to use the money toward a class that we could utilize technology for,” Schindler explained. “We figured we could use it for a class that used new computers and new cameras to teach kids how to use that stuff. All this stuff is something you’ll find in the workplace no matter where you go. Wherever you go, for example, you’re going to use a computer.”

The grant was used toward the purchase of equipment for the new class, including a video camera, lighting and sound equipment, a green screen and a customized laptop computer. The class also purchased a number of applications to edit photos and videos, enlisting help from Elgin Public School alum Dylan Widger, now a journalism student at the University of Nebraska, to learn the nuances of the programs.

This semester is the first opportunity for EPS students to take part in the broadcasting class. With the first seven students enrolled, they are now working to build the class from the ground up. Eventually, the goal is to have news broadcasts for the students.

“We’re still working toward that,” Schindler said. “We’re also hoping to do some sort of newsletter, temporarily. If we can have something like that as a place filler in between broadcasts, that’s what we are hoping to do. But that’s still all just on paper, we haven’t quite executed it yet.”

Once the broadcasts go live, principal Greg Wemhoff expects the popularity of the class to grow.

“I think this is going to be something that’s going to catch on,” Wemhoff said. “So many kids are interested in it and it’s a really neat deal. It’s all brand new equipment, so I’m pretty excited and the kids are, too.”

As it catches on, the broadcasting crew both in front and behind the camera will certainly grow. Until then, be sure to keep an eye out for the first broadcast from W-EPS: The Beak, coming soon to Elgin.