KNHS The Viking

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  • Call Letters: KNHS
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The Lafayette Parish School System (“LPSS ”) has a vision to increase student literacy, to lower student drop-out rate and to increase student involvement and participation in secondary education in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana (“Lafayette Parish ”). In that light, LPSS plans to obtain a low power FM (“LPFM ”) radio license, then construct and operate LPFM facilities which will allow it to offer a Broadcast Journalism Academy (“BJA ”).


The BJA will assist LPSS to develop (a) a program that will offer educational courses over the air, such as those described below and in an accompanying document entitled “LPSS Proposed Programming”: (1) a program to teach Cajun French, and in due course others to teach more foreign languages; (2) a program to focus on classic novels, such as Grapes of Wrath, Our Town and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; (3) a program to feature books from the current New York Times best seller list; (4) a program to focus on recycling, planting, harvesting, weather patterns and related basic sciences; (5) a program to bring real-time news and information to the local agriculture community; (6) a program to provide students with homework help that is open to teachers who desire to augment their class work and on-going assignments; and (7) a program to help students deal with and manage the stresses of their every-day, teenage live in the modern world.


The BJA will assist LPSS to develop a curricula to prepare LPSS students for entry into one of Louisiana’s ever growing media industries. The BJA ultimately will be home to a fully-functional newspaper, yearbook, radio station, television production facility, internet news platform and film-making operation. A dual graduation track is planned: the first will prepare students for university study, and the second will prepare students for the world of work.


Once fully operational, the BJA will function on the razor’s edge of educational advancement, and as such, will act as a facilitator to help produce a “21st Century High School” environment in Lafayette Parish schools. This environment, which is necessitated by the U.S. President’s “Race to the Top” initiative and more generally by the high school redesign movement, demands new, progressive and technologically-savvy venues of teaching and learning. Through these venues, the needs of the whole child will be met, thus increasing literacy, reducing the dropout rate and increasing the overall percentage of high school graduates.


To properly gage the effect that the BJA will have on the LPSS students who become involved in the program, one must examine the results which similar programs have achieved at other high schools. A 2008 study conducted for the Newspaper Association of America by Jack Dvorak, Ph.D., of Indiana University did just that. His research is based on a study of 31,175 students from all 50 states who took the ACT college entrance examination during the past five years as


either juniors or seniors in high school. Those results mirror the results from a similar study conducted in 1998.


Most importantly, this empirical peer review evidence provides a likely illustration of the type of future LPSS students the BJA will produce:


High school journalism/media students earn higher grade point averages, score better on the ACT college entrance exam and demonstrate better writing and grammar skills in college, compared with students who do not have high school journalism/media experiences.


High school journalism/media students also had higher grades in high school mathematics, social sciences, science and English courses that did non-journalism/media students.


High school journalism/media students tend to take part in far more outside-the-classroom school activities than non-journalism students.


High school journalism/media students have higher critical thinking skills, leadership and self-management abilities.


High school journalism/media students are more engaged in civic activities, become better educated and are more involved citizens as they grow older.


 


Many LPSS students come from modest to poor families and thus do not have the contacts and/or money to send their children to “high end” private or parochial schools. Nonetheless, there remains a broad base of LPSS students with the talent and ability to populate a full-range media department. The BJA will advocate for these children in order to make sure that they are given every opportunity afforded to their peers at other schools. The creation and establishment of the BJA will help to serve this purpose. In doing so, we hope to create a model that schools nation-wide can follow to elevate the overall condition of their academic institutions.


We intend for the BJA to engage in internet web-casting as a member of the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System to act as a catalyst for the entire BJA program. An internet web-casting radio station functions in the same way as does a traditional radio station, except that instead of sending the signal from a microwave transmitter to a broadcast tower, as does a terrestrial station, a web-caster sends its signal to an I Mac computer that pushes it downstream to a bandwidth provider, which then redistributes the signal via the internet.


This Fall semester, the BJA is focusing on radio script and programming pre-production to prepare students for the eventuality of web-casting and broadcasting.


Once an LPFM license has been granted by the FCC, the LPFM broadcast facilities will be constructed on the roof of The University of Louisiana “Cajun Dome” and we hope to be broadcasting by September of 2014.


Additionally, negations are on-going with the Lafayette Acadiana Open Channel to provide part-time signal simulcast of LPSS sporting events via the local Cox Cable TV provider.


The mission of LPSS is to educate, entertain and preserve Louisiana’s unique musical heritage. The musical format of the BJA will consist primarily of Louisiana music. One regularly scheduled program is planned to fully-examine the realm and scope of each music genre. In that light, we intend to play musical artists from Louis Armstrong to Jimmie Davis to Marc Savoy to Irma Thomas, and everyone and anyone in between. In other words, if a musician or musical group is from Louisiana, they will have a home on BJA Radio. Moreover, a big part of our plans includes providing valuable exposure and airtime to talented, but lesser known musicians, and to those trying to establish their name and audience.


 


RADIO ONE


Brief Class description


Radio One will provide LPSS students with a working understanding of the medium of radio. By the conclusion of the class, students will have moved from basic to moderate broadcasting production techniques. LPSS students will learn terminology related to radio broadcasting and practice the basic techniques of radio reporting, writing and on-air production. Students will learn the show automation process using Apple Computers to interface with the Backbone webcasting network.


In this introductory class, LPSS students will learn the operation of audio engineering equipment, writing for the ear and capturing sound. LPSS students will work in groups of two or three to create Public Service Announcements, news spots and newscasts, and to create a library of five voice tracked original shows, to be web-casted worldwide on the BJA’s internet radio station. In addition to a brief introduction to the history of radio through a study of classic examples of early radio broadcasts, LPSS students will learn the fundamentals of scholastic press law, industry codes of ethics and copyright regulations. The study of media and communication technology is integrated with journalism and English language arts skills of reading, writing, speaking, presenting, listening and critical thinking.


At the conclusion of the course, LPSS students will be able to create original programming using the following show-prep procedure cycle, and will thus be prepared for entry into Radio Two:


1. Select & Time Music 2. Brainstorm 3. Rough Draft 4. Script writing 5 Studio Record


6. Stack & Edit 7. Edit & Download


 


SYLLABUS FOR RADIO II


Course description:


This course is intended to cover the necessary introductory radio broadcasting skills.


Priority standards and final proficiencies:


We have established workplace standards which LPSS students are expected to understand and meet. LPSS students will learn the importance of: regular attendance, team work, appropriate etiquette in the workplace environment, learning as a lifetime requirement, developing an appreciation for professional quality, being able to recognize career avenues within our field, and learning the materials and processes of the Communications industry. Further, LPSS students will demonstrate a working knowledge of presentation media, tools and procedures for an introduction to radio broadcasting and other media. LPSS students will also have a better understanding of the media and how it operates.


Schedule of topics/units covered:


Safety


History


Announcing Skills


Programming


Formats


News


Commercials


Promotions


Sports Reporting


Ratings


Technical


Academic vocabulary :


Air check, billboard, cluttering, compressing copy, cutaway, format, market, microphone, mixing, stuttering, substitution, wire service.


Supplemental resources:


Apple Computers


Software manuals covering the operation of Backbone Bandwidth


 


Field trips


Guest speakers


Career Information System (CIS)


Project-based Learning


 


Essential skills to be taught:


•Read and comprehend


•Write clearly and accurately


•Listen actively and speak clearly


•Apply mathematics


•Think critically


•Personal management and teamwork


•Use technology


Essential skills to be assessed:


•Read and comprehend


•Write clearly and accurately


•Listen actively and speak clearly


•Apply mathematics


•Think critically


•Personal management and teamwork


•Use technology


 


SYLLABUS FOR RADIO II


Course description:


Journalism students communicate in a variety of forms for a variety of audiences and purposes. LPSS high school students are expected to plan, draft and complete written scripts on a regular basis, carefully examining their copy for clarity, engaging language and the correct use of the conventions and mechanics of written English. LPSS students are expected to become analytical consumers of media and technology to enhance their communication skills. In addition, LPSS students will learn journalistic ethics and standards. Writing, technology, and electronic media are used as tools for learning as students create, clarify, critique, write and produce effective communications. LPSS students will refine and enhance their journalistic skills, research self-selected topics, and plan, organize, and prepare a weekly radio program for broadcast.


Priority standards and final proficiencies:


JOURNALISM— LPSS students will:


Understand and exercise the rights and responsibilities of free speech in American society.


Analyze and evaluate mass media as an informed consumer.


Seeks actively, gather and evaluate information.


Recognize, write and evaluate various journalistic styles.


Use editing skills.


Set goals, solve problems, make decisions, assume responsibility and work cooperatively.


Design and produce a Radio program for broadcast.


 


Materials


Journalism Today. Bradley Wilson. Textbook.


News Writer’s Handbook. Rob Melton. Supplementary text.


News Designer’s Handbook. Tim Harrower. Supplementary text.


News Reporter’s Handbook. Tim Harrower. Supplementary text.


 


Essential skills to be taught:


•Read and comprehend


•Write clearly and accurately


•Listen actively and speak clearly


•Think critically


•Personal management and teamwork


Essential skills to be assessed:


•Read and comprehend


•Write clearly and accurately


•Listen actively and speak clearly


•Think critically


•Personal management and teamwork


 


Depending upon overall BJA enrollment, the BJA/LPFM radio station will:


A. broadcast a minimum of twelve hours of LPSS student programming per day, consisting of four three-hour, prerecorded, voice-tracked and automated shows produced at a LPSS high school by BJA students under the direct teaching supervision of LPSS faculty and staff;


B. broadcast a maximum of eighteen hours of LPSS student programming per day, consisting of six three-hour, prerecorded, voice-tracked and automated shows produced at a local high school by BJA students under the direct teaching supervision of LPSS faculty and staff;


C. broadcast a minimum of eighty-four hours of locally-originated programming a week and a maximum of 164 hours of locally-originated programming a week. This programming will be largely made up of three-hour, prerecorded, voice-tracked and automated shows produced at a LPSS high school by BJA students under the direct teaching supervision of LPSS faculty and staff; and


D. at a maximum, broadcast six hours of daily programming originated off-site to be aired mostly between 12 midnight and 6am weekdays, and 24 hours during weekends. (All off-site programming will come from the public radio sector, including without limitation the IBS Partner Exchange, The Backbone Internet radio partnership, through the Public Radio Exchange and the WFMT, Chicago Radio Network, and must meet the criteria of the mission to educate, entertain and preserve Louisiana’s unique musical heritage.)


 


 Lafayette Parish School System


Proposed Programming Schedule


Monday – Friday


 


6:00 am-6:15 am Morning Mediations


Positive thinking to start the day.


6:15 am-6:30 am Morning Announcements


LPSS, pledge, prayer, announcements and student specials. This is the audio of the Morning News.


6:30 am-6:30 pm Student Music Programs


Pre-recorded and automated. Three, three-hour shows and one, two-hour show a day, chosen from the twenty LPSS student music program lists.


6:30 pm–7:00 pm Keeping It Real


Program hosted by LPSS teacher expert in helping students deal with and manage the stresses of every day teenage life in the modern world. We plan an interactive internet class to allow listeners to interact with one another, do assignments and receive feedback from the LPSS teacher to be of benefit to all teens from all LPSS schools. Many more ideas are in development to make the programming truly student driven.


7:00 pm–7:15 pm Cajun French Class


Several of our LPSS teachers are fluent in Cajun French. Hence, this program will be taught by one of those teachers as a class. We plan an interactive internet class to allow listeners to interact with one another, do assignments and receive feedback from the LPSS teacher. While this class WILL NOT be offered for credit, those who enroll in the on-line section will get a certificate of completion. As programing evolves over time, other foreign languages will be added.


7:15 pm–8:30 pm A Novel Idea


A partnership with a local bookstore to underwrite a program that plays the audio text of classic novels. Examples: Grapes of Wrath, Our Town, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, etc. Commentary will be provided by an LPSS English teacher, and an internet classroom (as with the French Class) will be provided.


8:30 pm–9:00pm Northside Almanac


An LPSS science teacher will focus on recycling, planting, harvesting, weather patterns and the basic sciences surrounding all related aspects. Again, an internet page will accompany the program to include access to real-time, weather-bug climate conditions.


9:00- 915 pm F&M Report


Similar to the old school country AM radio station commodity trading reports, this show will be hosted by an LPSS FAA teacher to bring real-time news and information to the local agricultural community. Again, an interactive internet site (as with the French Class) will accompany the program.


9:15 pm-6:00 am


Re-play of three of the four preceding days’ programs. EG shows that ran between 7:30 am – 6:30 pm on Tuesday would run during this block of hours starting Wednesday evening into Thursday morning. Process repeats daily.


6:00 am-7:00 am National News Program


A national news program geared to the taste of younger audiences.


Saturday


12:00 am-11:59 pm Syndicated Programming


Through program exchange, LPSS will get a great variety of one- to three-hour programs from other stations that will run as our Saturday special. In exchange, LPSS will offer our programming to them for their week-end broadcasts.


Sunday


12:00 am-11:59 am Syndicated Programming


Through  program exchange, LPSS will get a great variety of one- to three-hour programs from other stations that will run as our Sunday special. In exchange, we will offer our programming to them for their week-end broadcasts.


 


 


High School Radio


Student Music Programs


 


1. A Black Tie Event


Symphonies from around the state in concert.


 


2. Boogie Rouge


All Genres


Contemporary Local Music


Emerging Artists


 


3. BR-R&B


Local Blues Men and Women


 


4. Ca c'est bon


Cajun & Creole


Traditional


50’s and 60’s


Emerging Artists


 


5. Delta Blues


Baton Rouge


Louisiana


New Orleans


Crossroads


 


6. Emerging Artists


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