Skip To Main Content

WCS GameDay Brings Broadcasting Programs Together

Published November 14, 2014

Yes, WCS GameDay is a pretty neat idea – hosting an ESPN-like GameDay show at your school is pretty sweet. But what’s even sweeter and more unique is what it takes to get GameDay off the ground: collaboration between two school’s media programs.

The first WCS GameDay was hosted by Fairview High School when they played cross county rival Page High on October 24. This brought Fairview Broadcasting Teacher Bob King and Page Broadcasting Teacher Terry Flowers together to produce the first WCS GameDay.

“This GameDay opens a whole new professional relationship between teachers and students from other schools,” said King. “Teachers and their students are used to working with each other in a classroom relationship. They know what that looks like. When we collaborate with another school, we connect on a whole different level – it’s something very unique.”

Flowers agrees.

“I can honestly say that the WCS broadcasting teachers enjoy being together,” said Flowers. “We have a high respect for each other and the background and experience we all bring to the table. When given the opportunity, amazing things happen because each person’s strengths work for the benefit of the entire production. Most of us came into teaching from industry, and it is a very cool thing to be using our skills from corporate to collaborate with each other in our educational world.”

Though the teachers enjoy working together and learning from one another, the students benefit immensely from the experience as well – from setting up GameDay, to working together to produce the show, to learning new techniques and tricks. Steele Palombo, senior Page High broadcasting student, said this is what makes the experience so great – learning from his peers.

“Having the chance to work with some of the other schools’ broadcasting departments was a great experience because we were able to combine talents to create the best quality product possible,” said Steele. “Being able to teach other students how to use a piece of equipment that I understand helped me improve my own understanding of that piece. I was also given the opportunity to work closely with a friend from another school. He showed me his talents through directing and coaching his peers that were in lower broadcasting classes.”

Students learning from one another is Terry Flowers’ favorite part of the GameDay experience.

“Probably the most beneficial thing for students is working side-by-side with other students, especially in a live production where they have to take instructions from other students and just ‘roll with it’,” said Flowers. “I love to watch the leadership potential in my students rising to the occasion and teaching others what they know.”

Ravenwood High School hosted the second WCS GameDay for their first playoff game against Station Camp High School on November 7. Terry Flowers and Page’s broadcasting program helped out Ravenwood’s broadcasting teacher Shane Shoemake and his students to make the show a success.”They helped so much,” said Shoemake. “Terry practically brought a mobile studio over from Page. The broadcasting teachers have a great working relationship and any one of them would offer to help at a moment’s notice. I feel fortunate to work and collaborate with such a great group of experienced leaders and have learned that by working with other programs, although we all try to do things the same way, we have a unique way of doing certain things that is a fresh look into the broadcasting field.”

Shoemake said this collaboration will help make programs better as a whole, and he is all for combining programs and talents in the future.

“I loved the fact that we were able to collaborate with each other, and I would love to be a part of more of this in the future,” said Shoemake. “Every school has different ways of running their program, and it’s great to see and learn from how other teachers work. We truly have the best teachers here at WCS, and I am honored to be called one of them. I learn a great deal from my kids on a daily basis and look forward to collaborating with other programs in the future.”