From the Student Section to the Press Box

With a strong tie to sports, it was a no-brainer for Perry High School, located in Massillon, OH, to start a broadcast journalism course where students could experiment with the school’s video display. Keith Brown, the instructor for this class, enjoys seeing what the students come up with.

“We started with this course to teach kids to shoot and edit video and do everyday show announcements. Last year we wrote up a curriculum for a sports journalism course that just covers sports at our high school and we just started that class this year,” said Brown.

Brown has 13 students in his sports production class, however, the students wish there were more than only 44 minutes for the class.

“The kids asked if we could add a Sports Journalism II to expand the time we get,” said Brown.

Brown’s students help with the hype video that plays before the team runs out onto the field while others help in the press box and run the cameras. Local businesses are also getting involved, having students work together to create commercials to run on the display.

“We want them to think outside the box. One student created a minute video on his iPhone using iMovie that played during the third quarter. The fans stood and clapped for it, making him very proud. We even had an eighth grader run the pre-game program,” added Brown.

Students at Perry High School don’t leave what they learn in these classes at the doors of the school either.

“We had two kids graduate last year that went into broadcasting at the college level that came back and asked if they could help out at one of our games,” said Brown.

Watching what the students might come up with next is one of the best parts.

“It’s exciting for the students when they get into a project. A little project can turn into a completely different one,” said Brown.

To see what Brown’s students are up to now, follow them on social media @thePHSnews.