Every morning, students at Marietta High School start their day with Blue Devil News, a broadcast created inside Mr. Joshua Dempsey’s film classroom. While most students only see the finished announcements on screen, the program is actually the result of careful planning, quick problem-solving, and a team of students learning real production skills. The film class is responsible for everything – writing the scripts, setting up the equipment, running the cameras, and putting on a live show for students to view every day. Students in the class say that many aspects of the class are rewarding to them.
“I think the collaboration of it all is really important to me. I like the fact that I’m able to work with everybody and also gain real world experience. You’re able to talk and communicate effectively. It feels like this is my job,” Makayla Crumby (12) said.
These daily broadcasts cover school events, club updates, sports highlights, and reminders to help keep the student body connected. Students in the class get to learn about creating such a diverse program from many different angles.
“We get to learn different forms of films such as editing, writing, directing, and acting. I didn’t really know much about script-writing, but I realized I really enjoyed it. I think just the thought of creating something itself really stood out to me,” Cristian Lozano (11) said.
Q & A with Mr. Dempsey:
Audio-Visual Tech Film teacher
Blue Devil News becomes more than just an elective – it’s a hands-on introduction to storytelling and communication. Students learn how to adjust when something goes wrong, stay organized for deadlines, and how to work as a team. Their work sets a deeper perspective offered by Mr. Dempsey, who oversees the entire production.
What part of the morning news is the hardest for students to learn and why?
“I’d say the hardest part of making the morning news is the script writing part. Students can have trouble figuring out how to create the right flow and that ultimately makes it the most difficult part of creating the news.”
How do you decide which stories or announcements get included in the program daily?
“We try to cram as much into every show as possible, so we are going to try to get all school events and announcements in there, but if there is too much stuff, then we’re going to go with the newest events going on and the things that are most relevant.”
What’s a mistake or technical issue your class has faced and what did everyone learn from it?
“A few weeks ago, our system crashed in the middle of the show, and we had some students who got everybody calm and got the show back up and running before YouTube shut it down. So they learned the value of teamwork, communication, and not panicking. It also taught them how to compromise quickly.”
How has new software or equipment changed the way you run the news?
“The new software has allowed us to think bigger. We can do a lot of stuff most high schools can’t do, and we could do our show entirely from here, or we can be really anywhere in the world. We’ve recently had people on Zoom from the IB retreat who were able to be live on our show, which that’s similar to what you see on CNN or Fox News! So I think it’s pretty cool that we’re able to do some things that people would get to do professionally.”
What skills from film class do you think transfer most to real-media jobs?
“Definitely communication and teamwork. All the things that are going to get you hired, like the ability to follow through with what you say you’re going to do and to hold someone to a standard is something I really like about this class.”
