Written by Evan Simmons, High School Video & Photography Teacher

Broadcast Journalism is an advanced high school course that focuses on producing “Live @ 1575,” a weekly student-run broadcast including school news, world news, sports and arts updates, feature videos, and interviews with students and faculty. Students can apply to the class after completing introductory courses in either Video Production or Journalism, or by submitting a portfolio of video work completed outside of class. Each student in the class can choose to focus on writing and reporting or on filming and editing videos, or can participate in a combination of both, depending on their interest and experience. Students then continue to develop their skills through creating a variety of projects and participating in operating the weekly broadcast.

Students on the Live @ 1575 crew work in a fast-paced, creative environment and move quickly to produce relevant content on strict deadlines. Though pandemic safety forced the production to pivot to an online live stream without an in-person audience, the student crew still ran every production in real time, teaching them valuable skill so staying calm under pressure and adapting quickly to unexpected challenges. As a teacher, I am most proud of watching my students showcase positive aspects of their community and grow in their ability to present themselves professionally. 

For the last three years, GAC has submitted student work to the Spring Awards competition hosted by the Georgia Scholastic Press Association, which is operated by the Grady College of Journalism at UGA. The competition involves a General Excellence category for high school broadcasts as a whole, as well as individual awards for specific student segments.