Laura Hutchens leads the Interactive Media Program, part of the Career Tech Center at Fairmont High Schoolin Kettering Ohio. Her students produce all kinds of videos for school and the community. They create radio broadcasts, graphic design projects and much more. The school even has a campus radio station WKET 98.3 FM Kettering.
Hutchens is a longtime listener and supporter of WYSO Public Radio. When WYSO’s Dayton Youth Radio series came out in 2013, she wanted to get her students involved, but it just always seemed like there were other projects in the way. When the statewide school closure happened as part of efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Laura Hutchens wanted to try and continue to provide her students with meaningful production opportunities. And that is where WYSO came in.
Hutchens reached out to Basim Blunt, Dayton Youth Radio’s Project Manager, and he asked, "What can I do to support you?" The result is a collaboration with juniors in Fairmont’s Interactive Media Program. Using Google Classroom, cellphone recordings, Facetime with students, and text messaging as part of Hutchen’s online classroom strategy, they’ve found success. This week, quarantined teenagers began sharing their stories on WYSO.
"It’s totally awesome! says Hutchens. “I am so grateful to have a resource like WYSO in our community. this has been a unique and formative experience for the students this year.”
Dayton Youth Radio is a project of The Eichelberger Center for Community Voices at WYSO. To learn more, visit https://www.wyso.org/community-voices or email communityvoices@wyso.org