We replaced our “Pet of the Week” video segment with student profiles and the change was a great one
One of the BEST things BJJTV (link: www.bluejayjournal.com) has done in recent years is something that may not get a ton of attention or awards in the competitive world of scholastic journalism, but it has gotten attention within our school and community. This something is our Friday Show feature “Not Just Another Face in the Crowd.”
Back in November 2016, I attended the JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism convention in Indianapolis along with three students. We attended a session titled “Humans of Your School: The Video” taught by Michael Hernandez and his student Omar Ahmed from Mira Costa High School in California. We already do a Humans of WHS with photographs and quotes on our website, but this session focused on producing quick one-hitter video features.
We were instantly hooked. We knew this HAD to happen for our school. Why? Well, the Friday Show, which is announcements-heavy, needed a facelift. Also, our student body is full of students who have stories to tell. And, quite frankly, many of our students do not know each other.
It took some planning and experimenting, but by January of 2017 we were ready to dump the “Pet of the Week” and a slew of weekly contests on the Friday Show to launch “Not Just Another Face in the Crowd.” That first week alone, I recieved six emails and two personal visits from teachers and students complimenting the new segment.
