One of Guilderland's priorities is to move students beyond New York State's standards, preparing them not just for the tests they will take in school but also for the real "tests" of life. Here is an example of how the district is accomplishing this priority:

Delivering much more than the news

GHS Reporter prepares students for the future

It’s 9:15 a.m. and the Guilderland High School television studio is a flurry of activity as students prepare to broadcast another edition of the high school news program, the GHS Reporter. “Since everything is shot live, basically anything can happen,” says GHS senior and Reporter news director Carina Engelberg. “But that’s the best part…the adrenaline rush that’s always in the room before and during a show.”

First aired in 1981 under the title Good Morning, Guilderland, the high school student news program has become synonymous with quality educational broadcasting in the Town of Guilderland.

Yet the show offers students more than just a chance to deliver the news—it provides them with an opportunity to fine tune many of the skills necessary for success far beyond the TV studio walls.

Skills beyond the lights and cameras

From set design to film editing, a team of 20 students in the high school media club are responsible for all aspects of producing the GHS Reporter.

“They are a tremendous resource for the district,” said Media Director and club advisor Nick Viscio.
Throughout the year, students play various roles within the television studio: they run the cameras and technical equipment, handle lighting and sound, and even compress files for the Web. But mostly, student reporters spend their time writing and editing news stories.

“The goal of the club is not to learn about equipment, but to learn about how to consistently produce a sophisticated piece of broadcast journalism,” said Viscio.

To achieve that goal, “we all come together as a team to put on a great show,” said sophomore Max Collins, currently in his first year with the club.

Reporters begin each project by working with a student assignment editor to develop story ideas. The reporters are then responsible for researching their topic, conducting interviews, and writing a script for the news piece.

Typically, students will spend anywhere from two to four hours working on a single news story, which will then be edited down to a two to five minute segment.

Their reporting takes them through the halls of GHS, as well as to local hot-spots, such as Crossgates Mall on “Black Friday” and the Times Union Center to cover events.

Students have even traveled to the streets of New York City to interview people while covering stories on hard-hitting topics such as the genocide in Darfur and life in the city post-September 11.

“Completing a quality news story not only takes a great amount of time, but it also requires students to display an enormous amount of responsibility, maturity, and decision-making ability,” said Viscio.

The skills students learn carry over into other school subject areas, as well as into their personal lives.

“Media club has boosted my self-confidence,” said Engelberg. “I’m not hesitant to ask questions anymore, whether it is in class or during an interview.”

“While working on the Reporter, students discover that they have some power in what they are doing,” said Viscio. “The community responds to their work and that drives them to do more.”

Looking ahead

Many students in the high school media club are already looking ahead to careers in fields such as broadcast journalism, communications, and film. They feel that their experiences while working on the student news program have prepared them well for both college study and future careers.

“Going down to New York City and interviewing people that we didn’t even know really opened my eyes to see what reporters do everyday,” said assignment editor and GHS senior Katie Steinmann.

The GHS Reporter already boasts several well-known alumni, including WRGB Assignment Editor Susan Storey, FOX-23 news reporter Jeff Saperstone, and filmmaker Francisco Aliwalas.

“I have not decided yet what I will study in college,” said Steinmann, “but the time that I have spent at the GHS Reporter has certainly helped prepare me for whatever I may choose.”

--February 2007