The Gryphon News at University Academy is a new club for high school students. The club allows students to come together and create a news broadcast that explains the different events going on in the school weekly.
The first Gryphon News was broadcast on Tuesday, Sept. 9. It highlighted the start of the football season, upcoming events like Homecoming and advice from staff and alumni.
Ever since, Gryphon News videos have come out every Tuesday and are shown to students and staff during advisory. Some other segments that have been in other Gryphon News broadcasts have been student of the week, staff interviews, tutoring days and library updates.
Senior Brooke Williams is the person who started the club. She said she wanted to start a club because it would be fun and is beneficial for college applications.
Williams first got the idea during the 20/20 Leadership presentation last April. Another school was presenting their idea of a school news channel, and immediately after she returned from the presentations, she went to Mrs. Lashonette Kemp, the Upper School principal, and got it approved.
Students who signed up for the club are a part of six different crews: filming, hosting, anchoring, editing, setting up tech and writing the script.
“Each crew has an important job which is very crucial to the larger project,” Williams said.
Williams has two main goals for the Gryphon News club. One is to encourage students to come to school on time so they have the chance to watch the news, and the other is to create a tradition that will continue after she graduates.
So far, the club has been going well, but starting it had its challenges.
“Members began to quit because they realized the current stress of school and believed that Gryphon News would be more stressful,” Williams said. “Another challenge is actually publishing the video.”
Despite the challenges, Williams said she believes she can make an impact, especially in class wars. The news will tell students everything they need to know about class wars, which will hopefully influence the classes to be more competitive.
Students outside of the club are also excited for the Gryphon News videos. Senior Makalya Dunn was surprised when she first heard about the new club.
“My first reaction …was shock because we never had anything like this in the past,” Dunn said.
She believes the club is important because it allows staff and students to stay informed about the activities going on around the school. She also said it can give students a chance to voice their opinions and ideas they normally wouldn’t get the chance to express.
Despite the challenges along the way, the Gryphon News has already brought an increased sense of excitement and school spirit to UA. If Williams has her way, this new club will start a legacy that will go on and on for generations to come.
