AIM Program Becomes Newsworthy! And Kudo's to Mr. Harris' Broadcast Arts Program!

The Michigan Citizen 2669 Bagley, Detroit, MI 48216 Phone: 313-963-8282

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By Eric T. Campbell
The Michigan Citizen

DETROIT - Northwestern High School offers two stand-out educational programs as examples of the public schools continuing improvement.

Todd Harris, teaches the Radio and TV class. Harris did production work for the Detroit City Council for 13 years.

The class offers the basics of radio and television production. Students learn how to operate and maintain equipment associated with a professional production.

They write and produce programs from newscasts to a 30-second or one-minute public service announcement.

"We develop proper camera etiquette, explained Harris, how to address the camera, how to use microphones, anything that would be used in a typical production."

The classroom is divided between rows of desks traditionally positioned and a television set ready to accommodate a newscast or a talk show.

A television camera and studio lights are positioned to capture all the students imaginations can muster. Much of the equipment used in the class is certainly not state-of the-art, but the concepts and techniques associated with broadcast production are available and taught with enthusiasm.

"They learn how to direct and write scripts, said Harris. They learn how to perform those scripts from a television and radio aspect. Right now they're learning how to do timing. With radio and with television, it's a time-based industry. We give them the ability to be creative and they're allowed to use whatever devices they want to use in order to get they're message across. It gives them a chance to be expressive in they're own way."

The control room houses all the video and audio editing. From here, the students are able to monitor and direct the cameras, as well as take on any post-production duties.

"Everybody has an opportunity to do everything. They'll rotate; one week one person will be the director, the following week that person could be on the camera, or be the talent. So everybody gets a shot at doing everything and they get the chance to experience every aspect of production for television or radio," Harris said.

Student Sheldon Taylor talked the importance of a well rounded education.

"There's a lot of students with a lot of talent but most don�t recognize that they have it," said Taylor. "Learning this makes me realize there are a lot of things I'm probably capable of doing. I just have to try before I tell myself that I can't do it."

Northwestern High School is also the inaugural site for a major academic initiative sponsored in part by Focus HOPE, the University of Michigan-Dearborn Campus and Ford Motor Company. The program is called AIM (Achievement In Motion) and is directed toward the use of technology as a digital tool for teaching, learning and assessment.

Northwestern was chosen for the pilot program due to space considerations, but the goal is to provide similar resources in all Detroit Public Schools in the coming years.

A previously empty space on the fifth floor now serves as the AIM technology resource center. It provides a look into the future of computer technology in the Detroit Public Schools.

Shedrick E. Ward, Ph.D. is the program manager for AIM. From the hub at Northwestern, he serves as mentor and director to those students who choose to enter the program.

He manages the Title II-D grant that finances the program. Ninth graders are the main focus of the program. Anyone with a grade point of 2.0 or better is eligible, but active recruitment is minimal.

"The real world requires kids, people, adults, to step forward," said Dr.Ward. "If you want a job you have to step forward, you have to walk through a door, you have to ask some questions. I've done the same thing here. You have to walk forward and say, I'm willing to aim for something better. I'm interested in improving myself."

Dr. Ward's resource center serves as a place of solace and a research mecca for those enrolled in AIM, and students are rewarded and celebrated for scholastic achievements.

"During the school day it's a haven for them so that the enabled curriculum is networked to technology, so whatever you need to do for any class you can do here," explains Dr. Ward, who has worked 33 years for DPS. "In my travels within the high schools and throughout the district, I saw that kids who were scholars weren't always visible. They were hidden."

Through its sponsorship, The University of Michigan is making academic scholarships readily available and the Ford Motor Company is providing engineers to apprentice and guide AIM students into post-graduate careers.

But it's the dedication of Dr. Ward to make technology accessible to all students from any economic background that drives the program forward. His vision and words reflect his desire to bring 21st century learning tools to Detroit students.

"My single mission is to get every child in the city of Detroit capable of understanding and using technology to propel themselves into new levels of achievement," says Ward. "AIM is a whole philosophy, it's a paradigm shift to understanding that you are scholars."