Audio/Visual Production: A CTE Program Fostering Innovation, Artistry and Collaboration

Setting up equipment, filming Friday night football games, writing scripts… These are tasks one might expect to take on as a student in an audio and visual class. However, the curriculum goes well beyond that in Audio/Visual Production at Georgetown High School (GHS). 

There are 127 students from GHS and East View High School (EVHS) in the GISD A/V program – students with vastly different interests, career plans and extracurricular activities.

“My ultimate goal is to work in sports broadcasting, so I mainly focus on working with school athletic programs,” Cooper Deel, A/V Production student, said. “I primarily work with baseball, basketball and football. Being able to learn about these sports now and how to work with the teams gives me a valuable headstart to my future.” 

While A/V production gives students like Deel early exposure to future career paths, the class also serves to showcase other projects and programs in GISD.

“I am really involved in theater, so I am always pushing for our class to cover events and performances happening in fine arts,” Paige Murdock, A/V Production student, said. “It feels great to be able to support other programs through my work in A/V.”

A/V Production Instructor Craig Jaris encourages his students to have sincere conversations around the school, cover necessary stories and promote student programs in their work. 

“A student might be afraid to sign up for the drone club because they think it is all math and engineering, and we have the opportunity to show that student that drone club is more than that,” Jaris said. “These are stories that should be told, and what better way to do it than putting out content from teenagers, to teenagers?” 

Beyond using video as a means of storytelling, Jaris’ students dive into other necessary basics of A/V production. 

“I think about what students need to understand about the business side of the film industry, things like project management and the legal expectations around copyright.” Jaris said. “We spent weeks just learning about copyright law.”

A/V Production student Ricardo Rodriguez Garces values project management and planning above all else before he even begins the filming process. When Garces created a promotional video for GHS basketball’s new jersey design, he put in over 30 hours of work just planning and editing to reach the final product. 

“I am really lucky that I have access to a program like this in high school,” Garces said. “I value the hard work that goes into leading a project, and I am eager to see how my project management skills will support me in my future career as a video producer.”

“I want students to walk away from this class with concrete skills that will support them in their future endeavors, whatever that may be,” Jaris said. “There is a lot of value in building communication and social skills, so I am impressed when a student is able to approach a teacher or a business professional to plan a project.”

“My favorite part of this work is capturing the student life in GISD,” A/V Production student Sam Garcia said. “But in order to successfully do that, I have had to learn how to set up filming times, proofread scripts, send professional emails and build relationships.”

“It is inspiring to watch these students take off and run with a project,” Jaris said. “Give them an environment they can flourish in, and you’ll be amazed with what they are capable of.”