HALIFAX -- At Townsview School in Woodstock, New Brunswick, classes begin their mornings by watching Thunder Express – a news program produced for students, by students.
Participants range from grade six to grade eight and were chosen from a group of 89 hopefuls who auditioned in the 2018-2019 academic year. The show is produced by three teams that rotate weekly throughout the year.
Townsview School opened in 2014, bringing together students from Centennial Elementary and Woodstock Middle School. Principal, Pat Thorne, notes a daily news show was already part of the program for the older students and bringing it to Townsview just felt right – and teachers agree.
“It’s just a way to connect the elementary and the middle school together,” says teacher, Robyn Dussault, who says it gives younger students something to look forward to in later grades while helping them gain valuable skills like planning and organization.
“They have to think about what kids want to hear about on Monday morning when it's only Friday,” says Dussault.
It’s a program students say boosts their confidence.
“It makes me feel more mature,” says sixth-grader, Alena Brewster. “I'm pretty shy, but this has definitely helped me quite a bit.”
Each show takes much longer to produce than the show's 5 to 10-minute runtime. However, teachers say it's well worth it.
“In this day and age where we're all consuming technology and video, we have a group of kids who are actually making something,” says teacher, Chriz Belzil.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Jessica Ng
