STEP
class offers media, business experience
By LAURA HAGAN
lhagan@owentonnewsherald.com
Photo
submitted
Judge-Executive Billy O’Banion works with Rachel Howard
and Katelyn Gaines, doing a voice-over for “A Season to
Remember: Rebel Football 1980,” a project done by STEP.
A small
business exists within the walls of Owen County High School.
It is made up of eight students who excelled in a multimedia
class and showed interest in the area and a certain level of
responsibility.
The business is Student Technology Entrepreneur Productions,
or STEP. The students in the class are a mix of juniors and
seniors who have already taken one multimedia class. STEP serves
as the Multimedia II class.
The students work whenever they have time, and Library Media
Specialist Martha Hamilton said there are usually three or four
projects going on at once. The class is part of an Entrepreneurial
Task Force, something Hamilton said she wants to encourage in
Owen County – how to set up and run your own business.
Throughout the football season the group did a number of projects,
including an audio project on senior night that featured the
senior athletes reading memorable moments and thanking their
parents.
Hamilton said the class teaches the students high level technical
skills and gives them real life experiences.
“It’s learning by doing,” she said, “not
reading a book.”
The class also did a cable broadcast for the 1980 football program
that was featured during halftime at homecoming this year. They
also did football highlights and broadcasts of girls and boys
soccer.
Having just started last year, the class is still relatively
new and is headed by Hamilton and Kay Bush, who teaches Multimedia
I.
In addition to video projects, fliers and programs they put
together, STEP is also working to become its own business. They
have created a logo, business cards and are in the process of
writing a business plan. They are also working on a mission
statement.
“We haven’t had trouble having enough work,”
Hamilton said.
The students were also invited to attend the Kentucky Entrepreneurial
Coaches Institute’s graduation on Friday.
With their many projects based out of the school, the students
would like to work for businesses outside of the school system
as well, whether it be videos, designing Web pages or advertisements.
Their learning is not simply based on media. There was a unit
done on etiquette, where the students were taught proper dinner
etiquette and practiced what they learned at a dinner with the
school board. There is an upcoming unit on public speaking.
Judge-Executive Billy O’Banion has worked with the class
on two projects, one of which was the 1980 football program.
He said he has enjoyed working with them and hopes to be able
to again.
“It’s really exciting to see students involving
themselves in media fields,” he said. “It’s
another source Owen County has to get information.”
O’Banion said the students were very courteous, mannerly
and professional. He also said he hopes more young people will
get involved with the program.
Brandi Watson is a senior and is a part of the class. She was
approached – just as the other seven students in the class
were – by her teacher and was asked to participate in
the class. She said she was already interested in the advertising
and video projects she had worked on in her first multimedia
class and wanted to learn more.
While some of the programs are different in the second class,
Watson said she has loved learning the new programs, especially
a video program called Pinnacle.
While she does not plan to pursue a career in any type of media,
Watson said that STEP has opened up doors for learning to her
and she has enjoyed every minute.
“Students are given a project and just take off with it,”
she said. “They let us take our creative skills to the
max.”
