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Remember when school broadcasting meant students passively watching
or listening to a TV or radio programme? Watching and listening can
certainly bring benefits, but now St Wilfrid’s is taking things further.
In an age of digital communication and fast-paced information exchange,
of media mega stars and live entertainment, this is an opportunity not to
be missed. St Wilfrid’s has purchased a cutting edge radio station and
now our pupils have the chance to make their voices heard in a whole new
forum.
The radio station has been built by the same company that has
produced every commercial radio station in the UK! It has the facilities for students to record
and produce broadcasts, and we also have 'roving' equipment for
students to do ‘vox pops’ and open air recording, such as on-the-spot
interviews and reporting on live events. It's a very professional tool,
but also incredibly user-friendly – within half an hour of training,
students were able to begin the creative process.
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The radio station will be run by students, and I fervently hope that
all students at St Wilfrid’s will, at some stage in their school career,
be involved in making programmes or have their ‘five minutes of fame’ in
the on-air spotlight. Following a school-wide competition, we have our
first pioneering team of students. This team will be led by two Year 12
students, Alex Copley and Leni Gerolymbou, with deputies Rhianne
Binnersley and Lucinda Wan. They fought off tough competition to earn
these prestigious roles, but they can’t do the job alone; our current
team each bring individual strengths to the process. Eleven students,
representing all key stages from Year 7 to 13, are working hard every
Friday afternoon to come up with development plans and programme ideas to
launch in 2010.
The benefits of the School Radio are huge. We have an incredibly talented and diverse range of students
at St Wilfrid’s; the current team believes that the radio will be a
wonderful opportunity to showcase our successes – with everything from
entertaining presenters and talented DJs, to ‘Live Lounge’ student
performances, coverage of international events, radio drama, insightful
interviews, faith broadcasts, learning programmes and essential news
issues.
We are only just beginning – starting small with broadcasts through
the School’s digital signage, SMARTBoards, and website. At this early
stage, the students feel passionately that they want to get the quality
and type of broadcasts ‘right’ before taking on larger projects. In the future, we will look towards longer broadcasts
at lunchtimes, ‘going live’, and even broadcasting to a wider audience
such as the local community or our international links abroad!
In the
meantime, look out for a competition to design the logo, the quest to
find the best name for our station, and opportunities to get involved!
Our first programme will appear on the website very soon....
As well as providing students with new technological skills and the
opportunity for work experience, working with a school radio has been
proven to: develop communication skills, promote the school ethos, raise
attainment, encourage collaborative working across year groups and
subjects, build confidence and improve self esteem. This station belongs to the whole school community,
so if you have any comments, ideas or questions, please don’t hesitate to
contact us!
Ms Alison
Richards, Assistant Headteacher, (Director of English)
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