There are three words students of Woodgrove High School can expect to hear every Monday and Friday morning. “Wake Up Woodgrove” is the name of Woodgrove’s own morning show, which has been a part of the school for around 11 years. Just this year, the show has undergone a serious rebrand, as the new Broadcast Journalism elective has been put into place. Students of Broadcast Journalism alone are responsible for the production of the beloved show and have implemented new segments and qualities that have taken Wake Up Woodgrove to a new level.
Broadcast Journalism became a brand new elective option at Woodgrove for the 2024-2025 school year. The class was started by Woodgrove’s Journalism teacher, Mrs. Chelsea Dyke, who has taught all aspects of journalism at the home of the Wolverines for the past two and a half years. Dyke expressed, “Last year Dr. Shipp, Mrs. Fiore, and Mrs. Leslie wanted to bring on new electives to Woodgrove. Because the electives tend to cycle in and out of popularity, and because journalism was fast growing, we decided to add Broadcast.” Both Mrs. Dyke and the students of Broadcast Journalism are aware of what a great responsibility and task it is to take on the rebranding of the timeless show. Sophomore Korryne Banks, a student of Broadcast Journalism, commented on her role as part of the Wake Up Woodgrove team, saying, “I’m an on-air anchor. So I’ll make different graphics, and edit videos, but my main job is actually being on the show.”
The new elective provides opportunities for students to get a taste of a newer profession and increase their skills in all aspects of broadcasting. Student Declan Forrest, a senior in the new course, explained his decision to take Broadcast Journalism. He said, “My brother is a sports broadcaster, so it’s something I see myself doing in the future, whether it’s taking communications in college [or] becoming a sports announcer or broadcaster. It’s something that I wanted to get more experience with and get more comfortable doing.”
The rebranding has resulted in changes to the current structure and added new segments to the morning show. Segments such as “Go Wild,” which includes a recap of all sports at Woodgrove, “Feature Friday,” and student life reports have been included for the purpose of student engagement and prioritizing every aspect of Woodgrove. Banks gave voice to other changes students can expect. She explained, “We are trying really hard to make our audio and set really nice. Just overall improving the quality of the show, and we are trying to go to every corner of Woodgrove so that no activity, sport, [or] academic [branch] is not focused on.” Wake Up Woodgrove seeks to build on the foundation of its predecessor. Be sure to tune into the new morning show and see the changes firsthand.