Monday, January 14, 2008

Students on the air

Nathan Hansen writes:

Irish Update was on its way out last year at Rosemount High School, and from the sound of things there weren’t many at the school who would have missed it.

The class, in which students produce a weekly newscast to broadcast to the school, had lost its way. The roughly eight year old show was more akin to MTV’s Jackass — with students being tackled in the hallway or being stuffed into trash cans — than to a nightly newscast. It’s what English and video production teacher Thom Hoffman described as students “trying to be funny and failing.”

Factor in sagging enrollment in the class and there didn’t seem to be much reason to keep Irish Update around.

“Over the years interest has kind of waned,” principal Greg Clausen said. “Part of that is because we kind of lost our focus on the purpose. We had great shows when we first got the equipment and implemented the program.”

But several students wanted the class to stay. They met with Clausen last year and made their case. They agreed the content needed to improve and asked for a chance to try.

The class came back this year, and so far the students have kept their word.

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