Two students sit at a table in a brightly lit room. There is a green screen behind them, and they take turns reading text off a teleprompter. Another student sits nearby operating the teleprompter. Behind a glass window, two more double-check slides and run the broadcasting software on computer monitors, and another oversees.“Countdown starting,” says the last student, and she begins at the number fifteen. The anchors straighten. The script scrolls back to the beginning. Hands tighten on computer mice.
The student holds up her fingers. Three, two, one.
“Good morning, Tigers! Welcome to TNN.”
To the students of the Tiger News Network, it is a familiar scene. At 8:50 a.m. they run morning announcements. Later this afternoon they will lead dismissal.
“From a school perspective, it’s essential,” says Nathan Williams, STEM teacher and faculty advisor of TNN alongside Tucker Middle School’s other STEM teacher, Amber Clinton. “Morning announcements are necessary and not super effective over the intercom. Probably more important is post-dismissal. If kids don’t see those numbers, they miss their bus.”
TNN is also helpful to the student participants; they get to learn critical communication skills.“It’s like a public speaking club,” says Skye, one of TNN’s anchors. “We all have to do some type of speaking role.”
“You essentially have to be an anchor first and then you can go to the production side,” says Mr. Williams. “And you can watch their confidence just grow.”
“It also makes me feel more connected with the school,” says Hazel, another anchor. “Since I do Tiger News Network almost every morning, it means I know all the announcements and things that are happening. I really like that part.”
Once students move from anchoring to production, they take over one of many other necessary tasks that keep the broadcast running.“As the lead producer, I’m the one behind the screens switching the slides and putting in the pictures,” says student contributor Araf.
“I’m the scriptwriter, so I write most of what [the anchors] say and the emails,” says Jaden, who ran the teleprompter for this past broadcast.
“I was never a tech person beforehand,” says Molly, another student contributor who now has experience with producing and running the teleprompter. Today she led the countdown. “When you first start, you’re not allowed to do a lot of stuff. Once you start staying for longer and working more, that’s when you get to start doing more.”
Students get to do a lot; the Tiger News Network is almost entirely student-run, and more experienced students help manage each other and find new resources.
“I kind of make people go to their places, like, ‘Oh, you guys go read, you guys start doing the slides with the broadcasting,’” says Jackson, who has been involved with TNN for a year and a half. “I help people get to where they need to be…and Andrew is not here, but he helped us find Open Broadcasting Software, OBS.”“Jackson and Andrew figured out Open Broadcasting Software and did the set,” says Mr. Williams. “The kids also write the script.” Although, “We do have to check it.”
“They’re still middle school students,” adds Ms. Clinton.
In addition to morning announcements and dismissal, TNN also broadcasts special events from their YouTube channel.
“We’re doing the spelling bee December 2,” Ms. Clinton says. “You can go to the website, click on the TNN logo, and watch it from home if you’re a parent.”
“Last year we had to film the eighth-grade graduation, and that was really fun because we’re able to see what it would be like next year,” says Araf. “It was a special moment.”
One thing is clear from speaking with the students of TNN; there are many special moments.
“We make memories every single day,” says Jaden.
“Every day is pretty good, pretty fun,” says Jackson. “Sometimes there are small mistakes, but usually you don’t let that get to you. You just keep going.”
