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Middle and elementary schools report activities, weather, sports and birthdays on their own television newscasts.
By REBECCA RICHARDS
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 11, 2003
With the theme to Rocky playing in the background, the announcer welcomes his listeners to the day's newscast.
"Live from the Cobra broadcast studio, this is C-TV!" declares Nick McKaig, with the punch and confidence of someone beyond the eighth grade.
McKaig joins other Coleman Middle School students each weekday morning for the school's live television show. The studio, tucked into a corner of David Grassman's classroom, buzzes with activity as students report school activities, sports and weather.
The program airs at 9 a.m. during homeroom and lasts about 10 minutes, depending on the day's happenings. Students use TV equipment purchased as part of $6-million in renovations to the school three years ago.
The program is among many throughout the school district. Nearly all of Hillsborough County's middle schools and elementary schools host some type of student-produced show, says Cindy Luiaconi, supervisor of technology services.
School staff coordinates the programs on a volunteer basis. In many schools, it's the media specialist.
"It goes to the whole school and it promotes school spirit," says Diane Malone, a media specialist who leads the show at Roosevelt Elementary School.
At Coleman on S Manhattan Avenue, Grassman is the technology teacher. He started coordinating the morning program in 1991.
Every year, he holds auditions to replace the graduating eighth-graders. To apply, candidates must fill out an application signed by two teachers, read a one-sheet script and write a sports or weather script.
About 20 seventh- and eighth-graders take turns writing, reporting and producing the program.
On one morning earlier this year, the team included anchors Taylor Schalk and Sara Marcotte, weather person Kaitlyn Cavinaugh, technicians Danny Robertson and Rachel Roy and sports reporter Matthew Jeffries.
Jeffries announced the results of NCAA basketball and Michelle Kwan's fifth win in the World Figure Skating Championships. His favorite team? FSU, he said, pointing to his T-shirt.
Classmate Andrew Lorenzen, who equally loves the Gators and wore an orange and blue shirt, served as the show's graphics coordinator. As students recited the Pledge of Allegiance, he flashed the words on TV screens installed in each classroom. U.S. and Florida flags waved behind the text.
News included three student birthdays, the lunch menu, tryouts for intramural volleyball and a brief bio of Harriet Tubman to conclude Black History Month. The crew stays clear of world news, including the war in Iraq.
Sometimes the students have school fundraisers to announce. Other times they bring on special speakers, such as principal Jerry Jackson or school resource officer Bryant Perry.
There are no budding journalists among the cast -- yet. They mostly participate in the show to see friends, practice teamwork and be "capable, connected and contributing Cobras," the school's motto.
There are more pragmatic considerations, too.
"Everyone knows we have to come here and wake up," McKaig says.