CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — For 20 years, students at Matoaca High School have been running their own news network called the Warrior Broadcast News (WBN), giving them hands-on experience in journalism and media production.
The broadcasting elective class is largely student-driven, covering school events and topics that interest the student body.
"I'm the station manager. I do a lot of editing, a lot of directing. I mean, as a class, we form ideas and videos we want to put out," said Kendra Carter, a senior at the school. "We cover different events that happen, but we also cover like, maybe, like pop culture, things that the students around us are interested in."
The broadcasts also incorporate entertainment elements to engage their audience.
"We do a lot of trivia videos. We have dance breaks. Dance parties are great," Carter said.
Teacher Brooke Vaughn leads the program but emphasizes its student-run nature.
"We all come in with our own ideas and preconceptions about what this class should be, what the broadcast should be, but we all do have our own idea. So figuring out a way to work together to make those ideas come to life is really important," Vaughn said.
Students appreciate the autonomy they're given in the class.
"Yes, we have a teacher, but I think it's more student led, like she just like we have more freedom control than like a regular class," Carter said.
The news broadcasts are typically shared through videos available on the school's website or social media channels.
Student feedback plays a crucial role in shaping the program.
"I think that incorporating a lot more student feedback, that was their first assignment of the year was to get 10 people to give their feedback on what the broadcast has been like in the past and what they would like to see changed," Vaughn said.
While the program is enjoyable for participants, it serves the important purpose of enhancing communication within the school community while providing valuable media experience.
"Just giving them that confidence to be able to speak to somebody that they may not know, who may come from a different walk of life, who may not speak the same language as fluently as they do, I think that that's a really great skill they can learn from this class," Vaughn said.
For seniors like Carter, the experience has been meaningful despite its challenges.
"The amount of, even the amount of running around I do, I still gonna miss it," Carter said.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
