At OHS, there are a multitude of CTE classes students can choose from. However, for students with a love of filmmaking and creativity, one calls out to them: Film and TV Production.
When in the Film and TV class environment, the close-knit community between students grows, something that is not as present in different classes.
“In that class, I don’t feel like we’re [all] classmates; it feels like everyone in there is a [good] friend…,” said Chase Vining, junior. “It’s an entirely different feel[ing] in comparison to other classes.”
When the community of students becomes friends and starts working together, it is easy to see what the most important part of any film is: collaboration.
“Having all the different people and then pushing them together…, you make an awesome piece of work,” said Jayden Swift, senior.
The collaboration between students does not just make great class assignments; it also makes great announcements. Wingspan, OHS’s tri-weekly announcements, is run by these same students who work with each other every day.
“I feel like Wingspan is meant to be a community builder,” said Brad Meese, Film and TV Production teacher.
Although Wingspan airs three times a week, which can create a demanding schedule, students willingly work on projects for it because of their desire for the Film and TV class.
“[Us wanting to work on Wingspan] shows how much love and passion we put into it, considering how many intros [and] segments [we make for] these announcements, when it’s not even a requirement,” Vining said. “They are things that we can do, and that we choose to do.”
Eventually, their hard work pays off. Whatever the students do, whether that’s being a host, an actor, or even editing behind the scenes, they remain professional throughout the whole process, contributing to the well-polished production.
“I think it’s cool that our [Wingspan] students treat it seriously and [are] trying to create something of quality,” Meese said.
The professionalism in the videos can partly be attributed to Mr. Meese and his willingness to help out whenever necessary.
“[Mr. Meese will] always offer to be in our projects or the announcements, whatever we need…,” Vining said.
Even if some Wingspan segments are not considered completely professional, they were created that way on purpose to draw in the attention of the students through humor.
“Wingspan [likes to catch] the audience’s attention by doing [funny skits],” said Abe Thiel, freshman.
Wingspan not only creates new friendships and connections through the segments they make, but the announcements themselves help form new bonds all over campus.
“I like the idea that at a certain time of day, everyone comes together, even though we’re all in very different classrooms, to be connected [through the announcements],” Meese said.
When teachers miss school days, these connections are not always made on time. However, students still want to watch the announcements, even the ones that are outdated.
“Teachers tell me that they’ll be absent one day when the announcements are playing, and so the sub doesn’t play them,” Meese said. “They’ll come back the next day and the students will say ‘hey, we didn’t watch yesterday’s announcements. Can we watch them?’ And to me, I love that…. They don’t even need to watch them, but they want to.”
The desire students have for Wingspan goes far beyond the walls of receiving information; Wingspan contributes to school spirit. With Wingspan, OHS students start their second hour with amusement and fun, letting them forget about the classwork for the first five minutes.
“[Wingspan] help[s] embody what makes this school so good, simply because… we put a lot of heart and passion into [our announcements],” Vining said. “We’re not here to just deliver news; we’re here to… make sure people are entertained and engaged, while still delivering it in a professional manner.”
