Media Arts teacher Ms. Thorstad oversees the weekly Roosevelt newsletter, The WiRE, guiding students through filming, editing and producing while developing a space of teamwork, confidence and community. The weekly episodes of The WiRE serve as both school news and a student-built gathering place.
The Week in Roosevelt Education, otherwise
known as The WiRE has existed in the Roosevelt community for much time. For about 10 years, The WiRE has served as a reliable source of timely updates about the Roosevelt community.
In Ms. Thorstad’s first years at Roosevelt, the previous teacher who was running The WiRE left. After the teacher left, the school needed someone to manage it. Since Ms. Thorstad was teaching video classes, so it made sense for her to direct The WiRE. Roughly five years ago was when she inherited The WiRE.
When Ms Thorstad first started supervising The WiRE, she had a big group of kids with many personalities. She puts the group as “30 students with personalities all trying to make one thing.” The early production process was often chaotic with students, it was as if each individual was on their own island. With each student being on their own island it was harder being a team and sharing. After a while, with the help of developing systems helped the community of The WiRE become more of a shared thing.
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As the years went on, an environment was built and a space where students could take on leadership roles without interference with other members. Eventually, a balance between the different personalities of the students came to be.
So, the community of The WiRE began to grow. Filming happens every Flex Friday with Ms. Thorstad preparing cue cards, setting up cameras and microphones. One the recording starts, students begin directing their peers, breaking tension with jokes, and creating a comfortable environment. After all, it can be intense putting yourself on camera. However, students get close fast. It helps break the tension and the ice.
Behind the scenes, there’s editors spending the week cutting the footage up, choosing the best takes and shaping the final products. There’s other members handling filming, graphics or special segments like the Teddy Talks. This highlights more of the student body and the production slowly building to be sort of student-led. This process also comes with challenges as the students have such big visions for The WiRE.
The challenge of consistency comes into play, Ms Thorstad tells the members how the episodes should be “60% perfect, 100% done”. There’s times where it’s hard for members to fully carry out their vision, the final product doesn’t come together exactly how they envisioned it.
What sets the community of The WiRE together is how it transforms the students. Ms Thorstad has watched the upperclassmen grow into leaders, students growing confidence and the mix-grade group learning how to work with each other.
The team has shared memories. Refilming after an entire session had sound issues and laughing through bloopers. This has built a sense of belonging that lasts long after each episode airs.
For Ms. Thorstad, The WiRE is bigger than school announcements. She hopes The WiRE helps Roosevelt feel like a connected community, where students can laugh together, see themselves represented, and feel like they are a part of something they helped shape.
