TWIN BRIDGES — Students at Twin Bridges High School in southwest Montana are reviving a journalism class to include a broadcast media discipline. They say the opportunity to learn and practice journalism helps them learn more about their rights as American citizens while connecting with their community.
"It’s for the progression of our country and I think journalism plays is really, plays a really big role in that because it’s what connects what’s happening and the ideas to the people. I mean, it’s the most important—it’s the First Amendment, number one," says August Whitham, a senior at Twin Bridges High School.
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Whitham is one of four students enrolled in a multimedia broadcast journalism class. He and his classmates have garnered a slew of awards for their work but he says his favorite part about the class is that it empowers young journalists to find their voice and report on issues that matter to the Falcon student body.
"Broadcast news, it's allowed me to get comfortable talking, talking in front of a camera, talking in front of people," says Whitham.
The class is student-led and allows for curiosity as they learn to tell the story of their community.
"Just being able to kind of have that edge of wanting to find things out, finding the truth out. I know in our small community, we would love to find out where our food is processed from," says Brooke Anderson.
Her interest in the farm-to-table movement led Anderson and her partner to local ranches to learn about Montana food production.
Anderson says diving into research and the ability to find the facts out for herself is not only rewarding but it's also really fun.
"It’s important to teach about journalism so that they have the ability to advocate and put things out in a professional manner," says Sarah Wade, the business and technology teacher at Twin Bridges High School.
For Whitham, working on journalism projects means access to places and people he wouldn't normally get to visit.
"I mean, think of all the places you’ve gotten to go because you had your camera in your hand," says Whitham. "I’ve had so many opportunities within my student organizations and with my community only because I had a project and I needed someone in the community to speak on it."
