I’m adviser Heather Jancoski, and this is my newsroom…
What is your name?
Heather Jancoski
What school do you teach at?
South Mountain High School
What city and state is your school located in?
Phoenix, AZ
What different media are produced at the school?
Jaguar News, The Southerner, KJag Radio, and The Southwinds
How many students are involved at the media program at your school?
50
Describe your space for us.
The classroom/studio for Jaguar News and The Southerner is a large classroom consisting of moveable tables and chairs with stationary computer stations. On the outside walls are three editing bays that are soundproofed for audio news. As you walk towards the studio you come across the yearbook room and then into the studio and control room. The studio is immense! Off the side of the studio we have three storage rooms. Our control room also houses our lighting board and props. The studio furniture was donated from Channel 3 which is awesome and we have some backdrops from Telemundo too.
What do you think are some of the benefits of the workspace you all have?
We have a lot of room, we are really blessed in that aspect. We can have multiple productions occurring at the same time without any problems. Our LED lighting works fabulously with our green screen area. I also love the editing bays that allow fantastic work to happen with audio mixing and production. We have a ton of storage space which allows us to create sets and tracks and not have to worry about movement around them either.
What do your students like most about the workspace you have?
The space to work and be creative. The chance to move things around without stress.
What computer programs and/or apps is your staff using on a regular basis for their work?
We have Macs so we use the Adobe Creative Cloud, Final Cut Pro X, and the normal Mac applications that come with the computers. The students use a lot of graphic creation websites too. One they use for promos is PowToon.
What tech equipment are your students using on a daily basis?
The students use Mark 3 Cannon Cameras, Nikon 3100 and 3200 DSLR’s, 2 Cannon handheld cameras, 4k Panasonic cameras, scanners, Phantom 3 drone, GoPro3, Gimbal for the GoPro and for cellphones, mostly rode mics and lavaliers and various tripods, monopods and camera stabilizers.
Aside from the computers and the programs, what are one or two pieces of equipment that you have that you think other programs should have.
We love Manfroto tripods, we cannot do without them on a taping. Also a good light kit is soooooo important in classrooms with those horrible fluorescent lighting.
How is your workspace funded?
We are CTE program so we get funds from federal loans and grants. I am always writing grands as well to fund things like the drone and GoPro.
Do you have anything on your wishlist for your space? If so, what do you have and why?
We want to setup a talkshow spot in the studio with a couch, table, etc.
(This is one of a series of posts where high school newsrooms are showcased. We’d love to showcase your newsroom on the site. To find out how, check out the information here and submit yours today.)
