Raele Riley (left) and BreEnna Heil present the morning news at TMS Wednesday as part of the Blazer TV Morning Show.

After two years of research, discussion, and grant writing, Torrington Middle School now has one more thing they can be proud of – an in-house, closed circuit television station.

When the idea first surfaced, TMS technology teacher Walt Smith discovered that Creative Learning Systems produced a video console that would allow the school to broadcast taped and live events throughout the school. He then went to Principal Marv Haiman to discuss the possibility of starting a television station.

Smith said the only problem was the lack of funding to purchase the system, as the cost was extensive and there weren’t any funds available in the existing district budget.

So, the school began looking for grant opportunities.

“It was then that I spoke with Lynette Saucedo and Patricia Harmon at the Practice After School Program,” Smith said. “We found a grant opportunity that was offered through the Wyoming State department of Education which we applied for, but did not receive.

However, a different grant through the state department called the 21st Century After School grant became available the next year.

Smith said the grant was federal funding the states could award to school districts or community organizations to provide before and after school activities for students. TMS applied, and received the grant.

“As a nice surprise, I soon discovered that this grant lasts for five years, contingent on continued federal funding,” Smith said.

He then put a plan in motion and purchased the equipment.

The school district is constructing the station out of one of the technology department’s storage rooms; complete with a broadcast studio and a master control room, Smith said. Students have been working in the studio since early August, preparing a morning show to broadcast daily.

“Initially, these students came to school in the mornings for two weeks to learn the system, tape and edit some skits, and structure their initial broadcast,” Smith said. “Now that school has started, these students spend time before and after school preparing for each day’s broadcast.”

The television project is not a class. It is designed to provide before and after school opportunities for students.

Research shows that the more involved a student becomes with the school, the more likely they are to progress and succeed academically and socially. (Says who?)

“The core mission of our district is to provide students work and opportunities they find interesting and challenging,” Smith said. “The early results are just that. I have students getting to school at 7 a.m. and working as late as 5:30 p.m. each day.”

The equipment the students use in the station are industry standard, Smith added, only on a smaller scale than a real television station.

Currently, the school has eight students involved in the activity, and more are in training. The program is open to all students.

“They just need interest and desire to be a part (of the program),” Smith said.

He hopes to eventually have five different 6-person crews for the morning broadcast, as well as crews to attend different school events, where they will film, interview, edit and broadcast.

The station puts Torrington on the map.

“The TMS station set up is not only one of a kind in our district, but one of a kind in the state of Wyoming,” Smith said. “There are other schools, mainly high schools, around the state that have video and broadcasting capabilities. TMS is being used as a pilot program, and we will eventually have other schools come to observe us in action.”

Smith said long-term plans for this program include Internet Web-casting and possibly tying into Torrington’s cable system so that parents and community members can share what is going on in the schools.



For the complete article see the 09-04-2009 issue.

Click here to purchase an electronic version of the 09-04-2009 paper.

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