Broadcasting live from UA...it's Lowder News!
The Communication Arts class taught by Mrs. Maura McCarthy Polles '86—also known as Lowder News—is a favorite elective course among UA seniors. The class consists of three distinct components and includes hands-on learning in the field of communications.
The first component is public speaking. "Since effective public speaking is a key to several areas of academic and professional success, the students build skills throughout the year with the intention of using these skills throughout their lives," said Mrs. Polles. "The goal is to build skills and confidence so when required to speak in a professional environment down the road, the foundation is there." One of the assignments during the Public Speaking block is to write and deliver a speech reflecting on the student's Ursuline experience. Several of the speeches become part of the presentation at a reception that Ursuline hosts for accepted students. Former Communication Arts student Gabriella Santone '12 delivered her speech at the 2012 Accepted Student Reception (video below).
In addition to sharpening their public speaking skills, the Ursuline seniors also conduct a comprehensive study of media influence in modern society. "The influence of the media is enormous in our culture today. We spend much of our own precious time and hard-earned dollars consuming various forms of media," said Mrs. Polles. "Communication Arts students explore various forms of the media, including music and the recording industry, the movie business, television, journalism and advertising. The goal is to become wise to the ways of media influence and to recognize what is truly valuable."
And as the students become wise to the way of the media, they also have the opportunity to create some media of their own through the Lowder News broadcasts. Communication Arts students collaborate with each other to bring the latest news to UA, from the happenings on campus to national and world news. They record video, edit recordings and produce newscasts using Apple's iMovie software. Lowder News even has their own iPad to use as a teleprompter while recording segments and they also incorporate voiceovers, lighting, special effects and use of a green screen into their broadcasts. The video below is a broadcast from the fall semester focusing on the Class of 2013.
One of the members of the Class of 2013, Jackie Rioux, has been so inspired by her Communications class that she has decided to further her study in college next year. "My Communication Arts class...has become my favorite class, and I have decided to major in communications in college," she said.
Mrs. Polles' Communication Arts class does other learning outside the classroom in addition to their news broadcasts. Past classes have been on field trips to radio station Kiss 108 and this winter the class of 19 seniors had the opportunity to spend the day at KHJ Brand Activation, a branding company located in Boston. KHJ President and CEO Judy Habib '71 shared her tips and tricks of the trade, as well as her favorite memories from her days as an Ursuline girl! "The smaller environment at Ursuline gave me the freedom to find myself," Judy said. "Never stop questioning and trying to find direction."
The students even got the chance to try their hand at promoting a brand, putting together presentations in groups and then sharing their branding and PR tactics with their classmates and Judy. To hear more about their day at KHJ, check out the recap video at right.
You can keep up with the Lowder News broadcasts all year long by visiting their YouTube channel and subscribing to their updates!