I am a director at Clarke Middle School’s TV station
Kidsday reporter Alexander Lynch and classmates James Tighe, Natalie Waters and Leila Stewart on the set of Rams Live at Clarke Middle School in Westbury. Credit: Lori Shyman
I am only 11 years old, and I have already directed a video for Rams Live, the TV station for Clarke Middle School in Westbury.
I joined Rams Live because I want to be a screenwriter and a director when I grow up. Rams Live is similar to a news channel. It is shown every Friday morning during advisory period. It usually lasts five minutes, but we spend lots of time working on it. Our show begins with kids saying the pledge, includes movie reviews and sports going on at Clarke, and ends with student and celebrity birthdays happening during that month.
As a director, I am responsible for kids’ enthusiasm and I make sure they recite their lines. If students are having trouble expressing themselves, I give suggestions and show them how to improve their performance. The hardest part about directing is finishing a segment on time because sometimes you need to rewrite or reshoot a scene. So far, I directed a segment on what students are thankful for. In the future, I would like to do a special segment for Star Wars’ national holiday month on May 4 (“May the Fourth,” as in “May the Force be with you”).
I enjoy directing Rams Live because it is helping me prepare for my directing career.
Lori Shyman’s sixth-grade class, Clarke Middle School, Westbury
