Every morning during 3rd period, students get the chance to tune into the morning announcements. Mustangs look forward to the live broadcast where they receive their daily dose of information about school-based activities and more. With that, however, there are a number of teachers who don’t take the time to publicize it, as well as students who don’t pay attention to its information or who don’t get the opportunity to view it, and miss out on important news going on in the school.
“[I think most students suffer from] an influx of too much information, similar to drinking too much water,” film class teacher Mr. Schemm stated, “It makes it hard for them to differentiate between what information is important and what’s not.”
Even for students who happen to be out of touch with social media, it’s crucial to pay attention to the morning announcements and understand what’s happening in school as there are few means outside of them to do so.
“For the announcements a live broadcast [is done] every morning, and it’s run from the TV studio to the tricaster that sends it out to the analog TVs in every classroom. There is also a livestream broadcast uploaded to YouTube as an alternative option,” Mr. Schemm informed.
Through these two mediums, teachers are then able to circulate relevant news sent out from the studio to their students. And for the average student, this information is crucial for keeping in touch with the school environment around them, allowing them to stay up to date with relevant knowledge about school events. From club meetings and school nights to athletic events and spirit days, there is a vast amount of knowledge that would be difficult to keep track of otherwise.
“The news is vital to understanding what’s happening around us, and I think it’s important for underclassmen and seniors alike to recognize that,” senior Jonah Woo asserted.
Although it’s occasionally hard for students to digest the stream of information that is provided, it still should be prioritized for Mustangs to listen to them.
“My teacher plays the morning announcements every day on YT livestreams and although I don’t have a favorite segment I still try and pay attention to it,” sophomore Mason Machiran mentioned.
But, in order to combat student inattentiveness and keep viewer retention, Mr. Schemm divulges that they are trying out different stories and segments to get farther away from just doing announcements, hoping to follow the success they had with Sports with Will. With it, they hope to be able to help students retain the increasing influx of information as the year continues.
“Our goal is to try to give out information on a daily basis and alleviate stress, and we try to highlight different activities and clubs. There are a lot of things that happen in this school that no one knows about, unless you’re a part of that particular club,” Mr. Schemm expressed.
Although they may cut into important class time to teach curriculum material and notes, the announcements are vital in the boosting of student interaction and school identity, universally significant to cultivating both a cohesive and informed student population.