Gaston Early College High School has partnered with the broadcasting arts department of Gaston College to produce weekly news segments. The news crew, a group of seniors enrolled in journalism at the high school level, works with college staff and interns to write, film, and produce the news for the early college. Students cover topics such as school announcements, current world events, and features on field trips, clubs, or student achievements. The news crew gains hands-on experience with professional quality camera equipment and editing software to get a better understanding of broadcast journalism.

Hear from one of a student participating on the news team:

A main aspect of what the Gaston Early College news team does is create weekly news broadcasts and information for our school, but that is just it in the broadest sense possible. In actuality we write, record, and edit segments all from the broadcasting studio. Each week the news crew creates an entirely new script for the upcoming week; this includes special events, stories, or reviews. A job that I personally have is creating a weekly show that requires me to write and record alongside our weekly scheduled news called “The Perch,” where I talk about and discuss movies, games, books, and other media in a comedic format. Other jobs include operating the teleprompter, taking a lead on camera work, directing audio and video components, or just keeping the crew on track and focused. In my day to day life, I take an active part in my community theater, The Little Theater of Gastonia, so my experience in acting allows me to better perform and understand key aspects such as timing and improvisation.

This experience has better prepared me for a possible career and imparted experience in what real life broadcasting and journalism are truly like. It has also taught me essential skills such as improvisation, cleaning and caring for camera equipment, operational use of sound or camera control software, and the experience in editing and revising previously recorded audio and video. All this I learned thanks to the help of several interns and teachers who assist and ensure we are creating the best content possible. It’s also thanks to the entire Gaston College Broadcasting Department for being kind enough to allow us their time and facilities.

James Wessinger is a student at Gaston Early College.

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