2024-2024 ORMS Announcements Club

A photo of Mr. Bellows and students in the studio as they interview Superintendent Shaps for morning announcements.

Morning starts early at Oyster River Middle School (ORMS), especially for the students in the Morning Announcements Club, known as Middle School Network News, who every morning arrive at school ready to share the day’s news.

Shown in every classroom on every school day, morning announcements are broadcasted in real-time from the recording studio located in the school’s library.

The club’s advisor and ORMS librarian, Mr. Bellows, assists students with organizing their daily agenda and making sure the studio is ready to accommodate the team. The announcements production is entirely managed by students who operate all the equipment, from the cameras to the console.

“An amazing thing I get to witness is, when something goes wrong, and something almost always does, in a very short amount of time the team must work together to identify the issue and/or develop and implement a solution", Mr. Bellows said of the team's collaborative work. "And the students almost always figure out how to get the show to air. Don’t get me wrong – a flawless production is the goal and a great thing to watch the team pull off, but how well these kids problem solve is something I really appreciate about them.”

ORMS daily announcements usually start with a greeting from the news anchor, followed by the daily Bobcat Café menu and weather forecast. Other special announcements are sometimes included, such as a coming dance’s information, or details regarding other clubs or activities.

Due to high demand, this club is currently only open to students of grades 6 to 8.

A photo of Superintendent Shaps being interviewed by Announcement Club students in the studio.

The Announcements Club crew sometimes welcomes special guests, such as Superintendent Shaps (pictured).

A photo of students laying down on the table to allow Ms. Kate to do the weather forecast during the morning broadcast.

The team must sometimes get creative with the space; news anchors will lay down to make room for Ms. Kate to share the weather forecast.

A photo of two students operating the console in the studio.

Students manage every aspect of the production, set the day’s agenda, and operate the equipment.