Live From Our Correspondent: House Media Competition
After a keenly fought competition from budding journalists from Years 8 and 9, Bramley has been announced as the winner of this year’s House Media contest.
Four pupils from each of the Houses entered the competition, spending the day in the newsroom and as roving reporters on location to research, write, film, edit and present news stories on school-specific topics and current affairs relevant to the wider Colfe’s community.
Stories ranged in content from diversity at Colfe’s, to how artificial intelligence is affecting teachers and learners, crowd safety at football matches, crime rates, the dangers of social media, and animal welfare in sport. Environmental matters were also featured, including the environmental footprint of food production, and what measures Colfe’s is taking within its grounds to mitigate the effects of climate change. Pupils did not shy away from controversy, with one House even tackling the topic of detention and its effectiveness (or otherwise!).
The competition was judged by a member of staff with no affiliation to any of the Houses to ensure impartiality. The standard and quality of all four House teams was outstanding, with news reports created on video and in written form, but Bramley just edged past their rivals with an extra news report in the form of a podcast, discussing some of the key social issues of today with three teachers.
When the final edits were uploaded to the news website, the pupils rounded off the day with a huge round of applause to acknowledge what they had collectively and individually achieved.
Participants’ feedback about what they learned during the day reflects how enriching the event is:
“I learned how to interview people and make a podcast. As well as fit editing, recording and finding people for videos within a time frame.”
“I learned how to interview people like a professional.”
“Today we learnt how to find and make effective stories for a news channel and it was lots of fun because we got to work on a project all day meaning we could put loads of effort into it and be satisfied with our finished product.”
“I learnt how to create a page with the 5Ws as well as making sure it isn’t opinionated.”
“I learned how to ask good questions in an interview.”
Media Studies Teacher and Head of House Jillian Li-Sue said, “House Media has evolved into a really fantastic event which encourages pupils to engage with current affairs. Many who take part are keen to acquire knowledge and skills to perhaps follow learning paths towards future careers as journalists or other roles within the communications sector. The Year 8 and Year 9 pupils who participated worked extremely hard, and all of us in the Media Department were hugely impressed with the creativity, focus and technical skills on display. It was a happy and supportive atmosphere from start to finish. I also want to say thank you to the members of staff who gave up some of their time to be interviewed and who supported the pupils throughout the day, and I would like to pay particular credit to Mr Cheung whose professional skills and patience helped to make the day such a joyful and rewarding experience for all the pupils.”
