It is not possible for The Paw Print to produce daily issues- we (the organization, that is) simply do not have the resources, time, or editing power to accomplish it. Still, the students at Green High School need to get their information somehow. That’s where the daily announcements come in, combining on-air talent, videography teams, and a healthy dash of chaos in order to produce one of Green’s most beloved morning rituals.
The morning announcements originate from a class called Video Editing I led by Mark Wirbel, who also teaches History of Fiction and Film and Video Editing II. Production actually takes up two rooms: one that’s lined with computers for editing videos and another that houses a full production studio complete with greenscreens, teleprompters, and a sound booth. The set up is professional and meticulously organized- there’s no sign that the entire cast and crew is made up of high school students.
That’s actually the cool thing about it: the morning announcements are run by and for our fellow peers. It’s this class over all others that has the most up to date information on practically anything: club news, important reminders, dance times, really anything.
“I think they’re super helpful for certain students. It really just sucks for the upperclassmen who have flex or for the kids who have teachers that don’t show them.” Lily Howdyshell ‘24 said.
One of the reasons the Morning Announcements are so helpful is because of the brave student’s who take on the “on-air talent” role. These are the people who you see, the ones reading the live teleprompter and balancing, at least in this class, the fine line between complete professionalism and having fun. Some years, kids are fighting for the spot on screen, and other years on-air talent is harder to find.
“I always wanted to be [on-air talent],” Hailey Horak ‘24 said, “The worst job is the sound-board, but everyone has different roles.”
The news anchors like Horak are responsible for showcasing their personalities on screen and bringing fun twists to regular announcements. Some have signature moves, like David: he’s known for his iconic (and sometimes insulting one-liners). Horak, on the other hand, prefers to work with animals.
“I brought my cat, and introduced the segment with the animals.” Horak said, “Anything [we pitch] can take a total of an hour to ten minutes, so it’s pretty flexible.”
But the morning announcements isn’t all camera time and big personalities. In fact, most of those who take the class work behind the scenes, like senior Gunner Garfield-Jackson. Gunner has taken multiple classes with Wirbel, and represents a growing cohort of students more interested in the production side of things.
“It [production] can be overwhelming at first,” Garfield-Jackson said, “I honestly thought that I would hate it, but once you get into the groove of things, it’s honestly pretty fun.”
Another plus for production kids is the ability to try new things and test out interesting techniques.
“You get a lot of creative control,” Garfield-Jackson said, “Basically we pitch an idea, form a team, and then make the segment which gets added in later to the video.”
So whether you’re looking for a fun class to join or just trying to stay updated on school events, the morning announcements have your back. Ask a first period teacher to play them during homeroom or check them out on the emailed student announcements.