21247 LM Jan2022

MaineTownshipHSD#207 The high school district located near O’Hare International Airport has fully embraced video as a tool to communicate updates with parents as well as market the district and share positive stories. The district’s YouTube page has more than 100 videos that showcase different programs, building updates, messages from the superintendent, individual student stories, student orientation programs, school board meetings and more. To create the catalog, Maine Township HSD #207 hired a full- time videographer who produces and edits all of the district’s video content. “What you can do in a 2-3 minute video featuring students is way more compelling than a thousand emails I or anyone else could send,” said Dr. Ken Wallace, Maine Township HSD #207’s superintendent. “Being in a position to bring a videographer into our team has really enhanced our overall communications platform.” Adding a full-time staff member comes with a steep cost, but Dr. Wallace believes strongly it has been a worthwhile investment. One of the reasons is hiring a freelance videographer is expensive, typically costing at least several thousand dollars per video, if not much more. Furthermore, an outside person isn’t familiar with your district’s culture and may only possess the technical skills and not the storytelling skills necessary to produce a video that resonates with people. “If you’re doing a lot of video you are going to exceed the cost,” Dr. Wallace said. “With Dan (Kolen), he knows us, he knows our story, he knows our themes and what we’re looking for. That saves us time and money. We also have this archive of B roll that we wouldn’t have if we outsourced all of our videos.” Maine Township HSD #207 has also leveraged the position to create another learning opportunity for students. The videographer has student interns and helps students produce their own videos. “Kids are growing up in the digital age and possess HD cameras on their phones,” Dr. Wallace said. “Not everything has to be super slick. We’ve gotten tremendous content out of kids just through the internship program.”

MeridianSchool District#101 The southern Illinois school district of about 445 students, almost entirely from low-income households, has leveraged video and other platforms to help establish a culture of hope and promise. Meridian School District #101 has used grant money to partner with an outside vendor, Journey 12, to produce high-quality videos that are geared at helping students dream bigger and reach their potential. The district also created a video where students share why they are proud to attend the district. “Sometimes the reputation of our district is not a true representation of what our kids are doing in the classroom,” said Superintendent Jonathan Green. However, Green learned that creating a video and sharing it on Facebook and Twitter is not enough. Through the partnership with Journey 12, Meridian School District #101 has developed a quarterly magazine that is mailed to every single mailbox in the district. The magazine features stories of current and former students. The product is similar to an alumni magazine, with the goal of driving people to the district’s digital platforms. “We are trying to put things in people’s hands instead of trying to get them to come to us,” said Green. “The feedback we have received so far has been tremendous. It’s not something people expect to see from our district.” Meridian School District #101 has also started a digital media class, where students learn how to produce digital content. What you can do in a 2–3 minute video featuring students is way more compelling than a thousand emails I or anyone else could send.

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5 LM January 2022