Oceanside broadcast students learning on their feet

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“We’re rolling,” asserted sophomore Noah Scott, who intently monitored a computer screen off-camera at a nearby desk.

Dana Hoffman and Angelina DeMonte manned three cameras pointed at Justin Chookasezian and Jessica Jacoby, as they patiently waited for the signal. Scarlett Kahan sat hunched on a chair underneath the camera ready to control the teleprompter.

Chookasezian, a senior, blew air out of his mouth — massaging his lips — as he then loosened his fingers before joining his hands together and resting them on the table in front of him. Jacoby, a junior, looked straight ahead seriously. It was only her second time on camera.

“Three, two, one,” Hoffman announced, her fingers above her head, counting down.

“Wait,” teacher Audrey Miller interjected suddenly. “It’s five, four, and then what about three, two, one?”

“You don’t say it!” members of the seven-student class shouted.

Miller’s teaching moment temporarily broke the vibe of a professional news studio. It was about 9:45 a.m. on March 17, and Oceanside High School’s broadcasting class was for the first time using a TriCaster, a piece of equipment that allows them to edit “on the fly” while filming, much like a live news broadcast.

The daily 40-minute class — in a room flanking the school’s auditorium — is a temporary reprieve from standard math, English and history lessons, and allows the students to hone in on a field they find fascinating. “This is definitely like a break from other classes,” Kahan said. “It’s not just sitting in one place taking notes and learning. You learn on your feet. You learn with your hands.”

In addition to the structured classroom time, the broadcast students run the Sailor Station, OHS’s news video program. They cover school events — most recently the Spotlight on the Stars show, as well as a signing ceremony earlier this month that celebrated student-athletes moving on to play sports in college. After such events, students begin the tedious process of splitting audio, fixing white balances and implementing transitions to make it as professional of a product as possible.

“…In a setting like this, [you can] just take any moment that could be forgotten the next day and capture it on video,” Chookasezian said after the March 9 athlete signing event. “Getting to see the real side of people…I just love every part of that.”

Teachers will request the students’ services for a variety of school events, Miller said, giving them the opportunity to gain consistent real-world experience through hands-on learning. She added that many of her students have gone on to work in the industry for shows like 48 Hours and 60 Minutes.

“I really like doing this because it’s a very professional atmosphere,” said Angelina DeMonte, a senior broadcasting student that hopes to pursue a career in broadcast news. “It’s really good experience to know your field and know all the aspects of doing [work] on camera, behind camera and all of that.”

With a master’s degree in media communications, Miller has taught for about 30 years, and has been in the Oceanside district since 1999. The video production program began nearly a decade ago, and was sponsored for a few years by MSG Varsity. The broadcasting class was formed two years later to help prepare students for a potential career in the field, and Miller has also incorporated valuable life lessons, like how to be efficient, prompt and get along with others.

“They take a lead in a lot of it,” Miller said of her broadcast students, “and I’m really kind of the wrangler to make sure that they stay on track. If I just start yelling at them or I say you need to do this and you need to do that, then they don’t learn for themselves.”

The crew rebooted for a second try at filming the segment, which was a rundown of recent school events, including an Electives Fair, the Patriots Club’s Valentine’s Day celebration and a visit from Town of Hempstead Councilman Anthony D’Esposito.

“Jess, just say something really quick,” said Junior Christopher Klein, who sat alongside Scott with a headset on, checking the sound.

“Hi,” she said.

“Justin,” Klein went on, now wanting to check his mic.

“Eggs,” Chookasezian uttered with a straight face.

Hoffman began again, this time starting her countdown from five and silently signaling the last three seconds. The student anchors came alive, introducing themselves before sending the invisible audience — who would later watch the polished version online — to an interview with D’Esposito. After a few minutes of silence as the clip played on the computer screen, followed by a signal from Klein and Scott, Chookasezian and Jacoby wrapped up the segment.

Friendly banter filled the classroom, just as it had during preparation. The bell rang and the group of friends dispersed to their next classes.

“The best part of it is that these six other members of our class are like my family,” Klein said, adding that he would miss the graduating seniors. “This class fosters not only learning how to do things in real life, but it also fosters getting along with other people, and makes me love them all.”