As promised, video announcements began this semester. Video Productions teacher Sam Picture has been working with students before school every day to produce the announcements. So far, the announcements have featured two or three daily anchors who read the news, as well as segments from the senior class and the administration.

Since the video announcements debuted Jan. 23, several cable and television problems have been addressed. Plans are under way for the announcements to play during brunch and lunch in the Student Activities Center.

“We’ve got a long way to go,” Technology Coordinator Lettie Weinmann said. “We’re still working out technical glitches. Many of the rooms have special needs.” These needs include closed captioning and audio-only announcements, according to Weinmann.

So far, the new bulletin was received with mixed reactions.

Many upperclassmen were apathetic to the new announcement format. “I don’t think it’ll make much difference because I don’t really care,” senior Valerie Chao said.

However, many students were drawn to the novelty of the broadcast. “You can see more stuff,” freshman Marc Mallari said. “If they ever need to show something that’s hard to explain, they can do it on video.”

Junior Haley Knapp agrees. “I think that it’s pretty cool to watch,” she said. “People pay attention more.”

For sophomore Cam Matzke, the visual component of the announcements brings it alive. “[The video announcements] are longer, but there’s more humor,” he said. “[The announcers] seem to put more emotion into the announcements. It’s not just a voice behind an intercom. I like it a lot.”

Some students also expressed concern over the length of the announcements.

“We just need to work with the administration team to determine what we can cut out and what needs to be there on a daily basis,” Picture said. “I think it’s going to take a while to become part of the school culture.”

Over winter break, a second cable was installed to the Village, providing those classrooms with a higher quality video feed, according to Technology Coordinator Darlene Feldstein. Besides installing cable, the school also checked for glitches in the system.

While most of the school is online, the gym is still left in the dark. “In PE, it’s a little more difficult (to view the announcements) because we don’t want to put a TV out in the open,” PE Instructional Supervisor Steve Ames said. “If we can get an audio only announcement, that would work.”