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KidNews Offers A Glimpse Into Elementary School Life
Cora Georges, left, and Grace Mauke are among the students involved with the production of KidNews 22, which airs on Lower Cape TV. RYAN BRAY PHOTO
ORLEANS – On a Tuesday afternoon at Orleans Elementary School, the school day is over. But for a handful of students, there’s still plenty of work to be done.
In a small media room, a heavily-marked white board is loaded with ideas and notes. An anchor script still needs to be written, as does the program’s recurring “Joke Corner” segment.
“They do everything,” said Leah Belliveau, a retired elementary school music teacher in Orleans and Brewster who produces the KidNews 22 show for Lower Cape TV.
This year, a group of approximately 10 students in grades four through six work to produce the show. They meet once a week for about 90 minutes, working on scripts, editing and other projects geared toward their next episode.
“I like it because we get to put our imagination and work into it, and make it really come to life,” said fifth grader Grace Mauke, 11.
The origins of KidNews date back to 2018, when Belliveau started dabbling in video and photography. She started filming school concerts and eventually other events that were happening around the Nauset district.
“I just thought ‘Wow, there’s some really great things going on in the schools,” she said. “Maybe I’ll just do my own little newsy thing.”
The show was funded in its first year through the Nauset Youth Alliance before partnering with Lower Cape TV, which secured the necessary grants to support the show and Belliveau’s paid role as producer. Belliveau pitched the show while taking part in a video workshop being offered by the local news channel.
“I was taking the courses and I said ‘Hey, I have this idea.’ And they were like ‘Yeah, yeah.’ They’re always looking for content,” she said.
“Getting kids involved in media is great,” said Teresa Martin, executive director of Lower Cape TV. “When kids have their voices validated, they become validated too — and that's a wonderful empowering gift.”
Students make full use of Lower Cape TV’s equipment, including cameras and editing materials. The station also created official KidNews shirts for students.
“They take it really seriously, they really do,” Belliveau said.
Belliveau said she initially envisioned the show to be a cross between Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update segment and CBS Saturday Mornings. The goal is to highlight the various happenings within the Nauset elementary schools from a variety of different angles. Segments include NurseNews, a window into what’s happening in the nurse’s office, as well as the Book Report, among others.
“Cora (Georges, 10) came up with this awesome thing for the band we’re doing,” Grace said. “It’s called the Big Band Theory.”
Cora, who is also in fifth grade, recently interviewed OES Principal Elaine Pender for another segment appropriately called “The Principal’s Office.”
“It was cool, I guess,” she said of the segment. “I’ve known her for a long time.”
Belliveau said students have fun producing the show and are especially excited when it comes time to air new episodes for their teachers and peers. But the show also offers students the opportunity to get a better understanding of what news is and how it’s produced. Students handle everything from anchoring shows to filming, writing scripts and editing. There’s also discussion on topics such as story selection and bias.
“They’re figuring that out,” Belliveau said. “Because at this age, fourth and fifth grade, they may have phones, but they’re not looking at news. And they’re not watching TV the way that we used to, so they’re not seeing a lot of the news.”
Martin said that familiarizing children with news and media can also help them find their voice, much like it did for her when she was a kid.
“If we can help kids find their voices, who knows where it will take them?
For Grace, there’s also a certain amount of school pride behind the show.
“It’s really cool, because we get to come after school and promote our school, because our school is awesome, and other people should see that,” she said.
Email Ryan Bray at ryan@capecodchronicle.com
In a small media room, a heavily-marked white board is loaded with ideas and notes. An anchor script still needs to be written, as does the program’s recurring “Joke Corner” segment.
“They do everything,” said Leah Belliveau, a retired elementary school music teacher in Orleans and Brewster who produces the KidNews 22 show for Lower Cape TV.
This year, a group of approximately 10 students in grades four through six work to produce the show. They meet once a week for about 90 minutes, working on scripts, editing and other projects geared toward their next episode.
“I like it because we get to put our imagination and work into it, and make it really come to life,” said fifth grader Grace Mauke, 11.
The origins of KidNews date back to 2018, when Belliveau started dabbling in video and photography. She started filming school concerts and eventually other events that were happening around the Nauset district.
“I just thought ‘Wow, there’s some really great things going on in the schools,” she said. “Maybe I’ll just do my own little newsy thing.”
The show was funded in its first year through the Nauset Youth Alliance before partnering with Lower Cape TV, which secured the necessary grants to support the show and Belliveau’s paid role as producer. Belliveau pitched the show while taking part in a video workshop being offered by the local news channel.
“I was taking the courses and I said ‘Hey, I have this idea.’ And they were like ‘Yeah, yeah.’ They’re always looking for content,” she said.
“Getting kids involved in media is great,” said Teresa Martin, executive director of Lower Cape TV. “When kids have their voices validated, they become validated too — and that's a wonderful empowering gift.”
Students make full use of Lower Cape TV’s equipment, including cameras and editing materials. The station also created official KidNews shirts for students.
“They take it really seriously, they really do,” Belliveau said.
Belliveau said she initially envisioned the show to be a cross between Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update segment and CBS Saturday Mornings. The goal is to highlight the various happenings within the Nauset elementary schools from a variety of different angles. Segments include NurseNews, a window into what’s happening in the nurse’s office, as well as the Book Report, among others.
“Cora (Georges, 10) came up with this awesome thing for the band we’re doing,” Grace said. “It’s called the Big Band Theory.”
Cora, who is also in fifth grade, recently interviewed OES Principal Elaine Pender for another segment appropriately called “The Principal’s Office.”
“It was cool, I guess,” she said of the segment. “I’ve known her for a long time.”
Belliveau said students have fun producing the show and are especially excited when it comes time to air new episodes for their teachers and peers. But the show also offers students the opportunity to get a better understanding of what news is and how it’s produced. Students handle everything from anchoring shows to filming, writing scripts and editing. There’s also discussion on topics such as story selection and bias.
“They’re figuring that out,” Belliveau said. “Because at this age, fourth and fifth grade, they may have phones, but they’re not looking at news. And they’re not watching TV the way that we used to, so they’re not seeing a lot of the news.”
Martin said that familiarizing children with news and media can also help them find their voice, much like it did for her when she was a kid.
“If we can help kids find their voices, who knows where it will take them?
For Grace, there’s also a certain amount of school pride behind the show.
“It’s really cool, because we get to come after school and promote our school, because our school is awesome, and other people should see that,” she said.
Email Ryan Bray at ryan@capecodchronicle.com
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