Three Vashon High School (VHS) students and a McMurray eighth grader are training under Voice of Vashon (VoV) experts to learn the technology behind radio commentary, video broadcasting and documentary filming.
According to a statement from Vashon Island School District Superintendent Michael Soltman, at the beginning of this year, VHS juniors Jacob Danielsen, Aaron Johns and Michael Clark and McMurray eighth-grader Lars Cain began working with VoV to produce a bi-weekly radio show called Fresh Delivery.
The project reportedly went so well that the students were “invited to learn all they could about the engineering aspects behind the Voice of Vashon,” Soltman said.
The students soon began controlling the board at the studio while VoV broadcasters commentated VHS basketball games. With the basketball season in full swing, the students have taken over all engineering duties at VoV during game broadcasts.
With radio responsibilities conquered by the students, Soltman said that VHS Riptide Advisor Steven Denlinger decided to add a broadcast component to the Riptide production schedule. In the fall of 2015, a group of students led by seniors Danielsen, Brandon Fairbanks and Mary Lawrence started broadcasting live video of the high school’s football games.
“There were all kinds of interesting technical difficulties to be overcome and lots of real-world, on-the-job learning as a result,” Soltman said in his statement. “During football season, eighth-grader Lars again ran the board at VoV, and a rotating group of student commentators, including VHS senior Sam Yates, announced the action from the press box.”
The students have expanded their repertoire and are currently filming, editing and posting VHS’ Open Mic productions online, as well as creating short documentaries about the VHS journalism program.
Soltman said he is delighted that students are getting “real-world, applied learning experiences.”
The students will continue broadcasting the high school boys’ and girls’ home basketball games. The next home game for the girls is at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12, against Bellevue Christian. The boys will play the same day after the girls’ game.
