The Lake Orion Community Schools Board of Education approved two new course requests during their Dec. 16 regular meeting.

The two courses brought to the board by Lake Orion High School Television Production Workshop teacher Roger Smith were Sports Broadcasting 1 and 2.

“We have the athletic games already, we have the equipment, we have the interest among students, we just don’t have the room or the time to do anything more within the current classes that we already have,” Smith explained. “Sports Broadcasting is one of the two biggest subsets or branches of the broadcast world — the other being news. So we believe this will help us fill in a gap in what we’re offering.”

The production of live broadcasts of athletic events would be the key focus of both classes, Smith said.

Additionally, students would learn how to perform public address announcements, write press releases as well as reporting sports on the web through social media and podcasts.

“These course proposals have been in the works for about three years…We know there is so much more we can do and that’s where these courses come in,” Smith said.

Sports Broadcasting 1 and 2 will be offered to students in grades 10-12 who meet the pre-requisite requirements beginning in the Fall of 2021. — M.K.