Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp.’s new superintendent is busy connecting with students, faculty, staff and the community, and a TV show is one way he’s trying to reach his audience.
Once a month for the duration of the school year, BCSC Superintendent Jim Roberts is taking to the airwaves to bring school district stakeholders up to speed on what’s happening in the schools and provide recognition for faculty, student and staff achievements.
With the help of students and staff in the C4 Television Department, “BCSC in Action” made its debut in September.
Roberts is familiar with facing the camera as he completed monthly podcasts in his former position as superintendent of the Batesville Community School Corp. That’s where the idea to relive the experience in his new role in Bartholomew County originated. After Roberts shared the idea with his cabinet, Bill Jensen, the director of secondary education, suggested creating a monthly TV show using the equipment and students in the Columbus East TV studio, Roberts said.
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The 20-minute program highlights great work being done in the district, said Chanda Welsh, assistant director of elementary education and curriculum.
“Each month we attempt to bring our stakeholders up to speed with what is currently going on in our school corporation, then add up to two feature segments,” Roberts said.
A previous feature segment included recognition of Mike Spock, a Columbus North math teacher who received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, Roberts said.
The show has evolved into three separate segments, Wieneke said. Each show begins with an interview or message from Roberts, followed by a segment on Universal Design for Learning — the educational framework for the school corporation — and finally a segment spotlighting a person, team or achievement.
The entire C4 class has been involved in the creation of the program, Roberts said, and students rotate duties for each show.
Angie Wieneke, the show’s executive producer, said the work the students put in to this show — from development and interviewing to filming and editing — is invaluable experience.
Chris Jackson, a senior in the class, was working in the role of editor for the latest edition, a job he found interesting and fun, but he also enjoyed being on screen as the one asking the questions, too.
“It was kind of a cool way to get involved in something,” Jackson said. “It’s like a little behind-the-scenes look.”
Jackson said he thinks the show is an opportunity for the community to become aware of all the work being done in BCSC.
“People can turn on the TV and see what’s going on, what their money is doing, see the people who work behind-the-scenes on this stuff and get to know the process,” he said.
Some of the features have been – and will continue to be – filmed outside of the studio. For example, Spock was interviewed at Columbus North and another recent interview was filmed in the school corporation administration building.
Roberts said he is enjoying working with students and educators on “BCSC in Action” and gaining the chance to be have a closer relationship with the individuals in the corporation.
“It gives me an opportunity to be in our school buildings and involved in an authentic learning experience,” Roberts said.
The show is available for anyone in the community to view. It airs on Comcast channel 3 multiple times per day, beginning at 8 a.m. For those who do not have Comcast, it can also be seen online via the school corporation’s social media channels.
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Here is how to view “BCSC in Action”:
Cable TV
Comcast, channel 3, beginning at 8 a.m.
Online
- facebook.com/bcscindiana
- @bscsindiana on Twitter
- Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation channel on YouTube
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