Rosie with one of her news crews (Claudie Benjamin)
Stopping by the James Simons Montessori School library on a recent Wednesday morning found a group of five or six fourth- and fifth-graders joyfully preparing for their daily newscast.
The news briefing lasts less than five minutes. Students review and tweak the script, then head into a back room where they videotape the segment before uploading it to YouTube.
The big, beautiful library is airy and light. It is the perfect setting for this entrepreneurial crew to discuss last-minute changes to their upcoming daily recording, which is available via YouTube in all classrooms at a time that best fits teachers’ schedules.
On this particular day, students were adamantly working to gain approval for including a joke from their mentor, school librarian Rosie Herold. Herold was fine with the idea as long as they committed to developing a process to avoid telling the same jokes over and over. There were plenty of assurances that they would.
The joke that day: “What kind of math do owls like?” The answer: “Owl-gebra.”
This elicited plenty of giggles among crew members.
The pledge portion of the newscast was more serious and followed an advance reminder from Herold to the two students who recited it: “Remember to put your right hand over your heart.”
This is not about perfection or avoiding failure, but about having a positive learning experience, Herold explained.
“We are not competing with CNN. I want it to be rough. If children make mistakes, announcing, for example, that it’s Thursday when it’s actually Wednesday, they’re a little embarrassed, but they do better the next time,” she said.
Herold has been at James Simons for six years and previously worked in schools in Charleston and Berkeley counties, as well as Fairfax County, Virginia. She has always brought news programs to those jobs. Depending on funding, the level of technological sophistication has varied.
“I do high-tech and low-tech,” she said.
Herold said news programming like this helps meet parents’ expectations that schools are supporting children in becoming familiar with current technology.
The content of the program includes some staples along with special presentations. Every day, for example, students announce the date and weather and recite the pledge. Herold also frequently calls out the name of a student who is doing something particularly well.
She also presents a weekly “bragging right,” such as a reading award for a student who has finished a book. In addition, a guidance counselor may appear on the news show to talk about a “Say No to Drugs” program, or a representative from the nearby Dart Library may come on to discuss a particular event.
Birthdays are also announced, with children receiving a special pencil and sticker to mark the occasion.
(Credit Claudie Benjamin)
At the beginning of each school year, Herold describes the program to all fourth- and fifth-graders. She emphasizes that students and their parents need to be committed to a regular work schedule and understand the importance of schoolwork coming first.
“They pretty much learn on the job,” Herold said.
Participants are grouped into crews, with tasks rotating among them. All students must agree to take on a task when it is their turn, even if it is not the one they like best.
During the last month of the school year, the fourth- and fifth-graders are given a break, and incoming third-graders are introduced to the program.
“Everyone wants to do this,” Herold said.
The end-of-year sessions give her a chance to familiarize students with what will be expected if they decide to pursue the program when they return to school after the summer.
The children clearly enjoy the combination of a serious mission and creative activity. Herold also unequivocally enjoys the interactions with her news crews.
“We’re so proud of the program and the response we’ve had from parents, teachers and, of course, from our students who participate in making the newscasts and those who prefer to watch. It’s been outstanding,” school Principal Beth Dillenkoffer said.