Hawthorne High School is known for being home to a myriad of amazing programs. One of these programs is Broadcasting; in 2013, Mr. Kevin Johnson revived HHS’s Broadcasting Program; however, it wasn’t until midway through the 2015-2016 school year that Mr. Michael Livingston and the Board of Education entirely revamped and made the program what it is today.

The Board of Education has shown ample support for the Broadcasting program in funding and making sure those funds are used to purchase the best and most appropriate equipment. The maintenance department has also been extremely helpful to the program regarding accessibility. Power has been run through the ceiling to hang lights, a green screen was painted, and a hole has been drilled in the wall so that wires and all the equipment is able to connect and function seamlessly.

The new additions to the Broadcasting Program are seemingly endless: lighting kits, monitors, TVs, a soundboard, iPads, tripods, microphones, a remote tricaster, and studio cameras are just some of the new equipment added. Of these additions, Mr. Livingston says the remote tricaster, which allows a live broadcast to be possible from anywhere in the state with internet connection, several brand new, extremely high tech studio cameras, and new computers have been the most helpful. Any person in the building who needs to work with the equipment may do so with the help of the broadcasting students and Mr. Livingston, which adds to the overall inclusiveness of the program.

Mr. Livingston, a TV production and film theory major, has eight years of experience in reality TV. Since Mr. Livingston has been a part of the HHS community, he has reorganized the curriculum in such a way where it is less tech heavy in the sense of “this wire connects to this wire” and more hands on and real life. Mr. Livingston has also changed the majority of the curriculum to be more student oriented; he strongly considers input from his students so that the curriculum may reflect what the students would like to learn. If the students are becoming tired of news casting, then they move to a different form of media to keep students interested and constantly learning.

Since this renovation, the Broadcasting Program has taken off and become a very popular elective. This is in part because it has become more inclusive and much like a real life TV set for the students. The program has an educational contract with CNN, which allows them to receive up-to-date news directly from CNN. Every morning, the class broadcasts the announcements to Twitter, and are hoping to live stream the morning announcements to classrooms as a short term goal. As for the program’s future plans, Mr. Livingston hopes to keep expanding. One of these expansions is a second level Broadcasting II. He says that this class would “up the ante with our projects a little more.” They also would focus on more student creation, and hope to submit the student-made work to film festivals, write their own TV shows, and work on short films.

In addition to the abundant support from the Board of Education, Mr. Livingston credits much of the program’s success to Broadcasting Club President Anthony Ramos and the huge role he plays. Many advancements would not be possible without his enthusiastic attitude and love of the program. Ramos says that compared to previous years, the broadcasting program is incomparable; without Mr. Livingston, the same actions would not have been taken regarding creating a Broadcasting Club and purchasing new equipment. Ramos adds, “The program is incredible, Mr. Livingston is amazing, and I know this program will only get bigger and better.”

Mr. Livingston has said that he loves the program, “but it’s a work in progress. We have to remember that technology is always changing–we have to keep our set and equipment current. The room changes on a weekly basis because something’s always changing.”

Thank you to the Board of Education for making these needs a reality, and for the continuous support. Hawthorne High School is excited to see what new advancements will be made in the years to come!