Roger Smith was once a student in the television production workshop at Lake Orion High School, and worked on the school’s daily newscasts. Today, he teaches the class.
The broadcasting class is in its 20th year, and is offered along with the video projects class, which is oriented towards individual production projects.
In April, the two broadcasting classes attended the annual spring Michigan Interscholastic Press Association conference in Lansing, a day Smith ranks as one of the best in the history of the classes, as the program was honored with a Spartan Award.
The Spartan recognized LOHS as one of the top programs in the state.
‘Not every school has a facility like we do,? said Smith. ‘But the broadcast element across the state is certainly growing.?
Both classes have 25 students, most of whom are upperclassmen.
Their community television show, Dragon Digest, was named the best feature program in the state, while the daily, live in-school newscast, LO-AM, was named the second best newscast in Michigan, for the second consecutive year.
The classes also combined for a number of awards in individual categories at the conference.
‘We had 22 individual awards, including 6 first-place finishes…the most of any high school,? Smith said.
‘The individual categories included things like Music Videos, which we swept for the 2nd year in a row,? he added.
There are a total of 17 categories.
Senior Elisabeth Richters took home honors for Best Reporter, based on a tape of just under five minutes of material that she submitted.
‘Each piece on the tape was tailored towards a different thing,? she said, noting that contrasting styles are appreciated by the judges.
‘I was very shocked,? she said of the recognition. ‘Just to know I reached an ultimate goal like that is an amazing feeling.?
Richters, who has been acting for nine years, will attend Marquette University in the fall, and is considering a career in broadcasting.
Fellow senior Jen McEvoy was honored with a second-place finish in the anchor category, and was also part of a graphics team that won first-place, as well as a commercial team that received an honorable mention.
In spite of her individual successes, McEvoy said winning the Spartan Award as a group was the ultimate goal.
‘We do the show as a team,? she said. ‘We won the Spartan Award because of everyone in the class.?
McEvoy will attend Michigan State in the fall, and is interested in exploring a career in production.
The LO-AM show starts at the beginning of fourth hour every day. Over the course of the year, Smith requires each student to carry out every aspect of the production.
‘I try to go as hands-free as I can, especially at this time of year,? he said.
Meanwhile, the video projects class recently hosted their second annual Video & Film Festival at the school.
The two-night festival featured Music Videos on May 9 and Short Films on May 10, with all of the admission proceeds going directly to the broadcasting program.