As Wheeler is now in its  2017 school year, Wildcat TV (WCTV) is celebrating its 20th Anniversary! WCTV has been informing and entertaining the Wheeler community since 1997. The show is produced by the students for the students and is created during Mrs. Kuhn’s 4th block Audio & Video technology class. This class allows students to become exposed to all of the different types of software and equipment that it takes to produce a show. It also gives students the opportunity to explore their creative sides and see all of the hard work that goes on behind the cameras.

While WCTV is now a student produced show, it did not start out this way. Wildcat TV was originally created in 1996; however, it was very different from what it is like today. Before Mrs. Kuhn came to Wheeler in 1997, the WCTV was produced by staff – not students. The Wildcat TV that we see today usually includes highlights of different club, sport, and other Wheeler events along with entertaining skits, surveys and student interactive games. When it was first created by staff in 1996, WCTV was only used to show football highlights. Another addition to the show was WCTV hosts. Whereas before each show would be introduced by the Principal, shows are now introduced by student hosts. Each semester, students in the class vote for one senior boy and one senior girl to host WCTV for the semester. This semester’s hosts are Caleb Woodman (12) and Christian Sharper (12).

Overtime, WCTV is now able to produce a show each Wednesday due to new technology. What used to take weeks to produce, can now be created within a couple of days. However, loads of work are still put into producing a weekly show. Planning for the next show usually starts on Wednesday, filming starts on Thursday, and then editing follows after everything has been filmed. The ideal student for WCTV is one who, “Has the desire to dream something up, actually want to see it made, and then go do what it takes to get it done.” according to Mrs. Kuhn. She says that being collaborative is a number one important trait to have as well. Students also can’t be afraid to put themselves out there and talk to other students and faculty around Wheeler. For hosts especially, it helps to have two students who are comfortable on screen, have good chemistry with one another, and are familiar with whats going on around campus because they have a scriptless roll in the show.

The Catalyst interviewed some students in WCTV to hear their thoughts on the class. Luke Simmons (12) said, “My favorite part is being able to use my creativity and video skills to help produce a student run show for school entertainment,” and his favorite skit is  Secret Life of Wheeler Teachers which is currently in production now. Another senior in the class, Liliana Henriksson, says, “The hardest part is managing time and making sure that the clips transition smoothly while editing work.” Her best memory from the class is when she and her friends made a music video together. Overall, students in WCTV work hard and love the class.

Happy 20th anniversary to Wildcat TV! We can’t wait to see what great shows they will make next.