It’s your typical Tuesday morning, and the students of FHC are sitting in their first hour class going over yet another lesson plan. Meanwhile, in room 116, a select few prepare the morning announcements.  The eagerly anticipated announcements have been created to inform students on the new news buzzing around the halls of FHC.

“I really love film and video,” senior Sam Morse said. “FX is the absolute best class to take if that’s the type of thing you like. It offers such a creative outlet.”

Led by teacher Mr. Manders, the students in FX are the best of the best.  Having proved their exceptional skills in required prerequisites, Manders has handpicked top-notch candidates, making up his news cast.  Out of the fifty students applying at the end of last year, only twenty-eight made the cut.

“Mr. Manders is our mentor, and our Obi-Wan in the world of film,” Morse said. “He  has taught us all that media communication has the ability to do.”

The students in FX spend time preparing and perfecting their regularly scheduled show.  The students are in charge of creating graphics, cleaning up sets and prepping stories for their 8:41 AM air time.

Class rotations occur about every three weeks, Manders explained.  The on-air and off-air positions switch, giving all students opportunities to gain experience in different aspects of creating a newscast.

“This year especially, we have a lot of students who would like to be in front of the camera, so I try to give students equal opportunities as much as possible,” Manders said.

Not only do the students in FX prepare informational shows each morning, they also work to master the skill of making student-led films.  These films provide students with fun and interactive activities to partake in, while also learning and improving their filming and editing expertise.

“Students pitch ideas, film them, edit them, and they eventually get aired depending on timeliness and criteria,” Manders said.

Going hand-in-hand with these short films, students have already started pitching ideas for the Film Fest coming up next spring.

“I’ve done it the past two years,” Morse said, “I love it because you have complete creative autonomy, you can go off of instincts and feelings, trying to create the perfect masterpiece.”

FX has worked hard this year, to both inform viewers about the upcoming week’s news, but to also create films that provide entertainment for all.

“A big focus this year is for FX to be a positive voice for all students at FHC,” Manders said. “I push the students to look for cool and interesting stories throughout the school, attempting to help build the community.”