Learning at Canton High School

CHS Cable TV and Canton Community Television celebrate 

30-year partnership, student achievement, and camera upgrades

The television studio is chaotic and intense. The students from Mr. McDonough's Television Production class are prepping for an upcoming shoot of the Superintendent's Corner, and the level of focus and professionalism is astounding.

The students talk to one another through their headsets, barking instructions to check volume levels, camera angles, and the "white balance." Mr. McDonough watches their work from afar, as he has trained and taught them to run the show themselves. There are some skilled leaders in this groups, and soon they will prepping their host, Superintendent Jeff Granatino, and his guests, teachers Marty Badoian and Nathan Walkowicz,

The CHS television studio and the television classes have a long-standing tradition of excellence at Canton High School, and this show's prep just underscores the great learning experiences that students enjoy in a non-traditional classroom. The authentic learning challenges them to be creative and problem solve, communicate and collaborate with peers, and master the technical skills required for television production.

Thank you to Mr. McDonough and Canton Community Television for creating a great learning environment for our students! The following photos were taken during the show prep and the article below covers the CHS-Canton Community Television partnership and this year's high definition camera upgrades.

From the Canton Citizen

CHS Cable TV and Canton Community Television celebrated a successful and productive 30-year partnership. CCTV recently re-powered a state-of-the-art studio at CHS and provides high-end professional equipment at no cost to the Canton Public Schools to broadcast from the high school TV studio.

At Thursday night’s meeting, committee members heard presentations from TV production students Matt Chamberlain and Mia Tess, teacher and CPS Cable Access Coordinator Ed McDonough, and CCTV President Joe Donnelly, and McDonough thanked Donnelly and longtime station manager Tanya Willow for their many years of support. CCTV has also provided various training opportunities, bringing in professional cable technicians from TD Boston Garden as well as NESN cameraman and Canton native Bill Titus and professional engineer David Wells.

Tess told the committee that recent CHS graduates Greg Chamberlain, Haylee Russman, Jon and Lauren Cortizo, and Jack McNamara are all employed in the media. McNamara, who works for ESPN, was nominated for an Emmy Award. Jon Cortizo, who earned a student Emmy for cinematography, works as an assistant cameraman for the television show “The Good Wife” on CBS.

Donnelly told the committee how proud the station is to invest in the youth of Canton. “We recognize the impact of how it promotes student learning and that it has become part of the fabric of the entire Canton community,” he said. “It is our intent to support this program for many years to come.”

School Superintendent Jeff Granatino said, “The generosity of the entire CCTV team has been instrumental in making our television production program one of the strongest in the commonwealth. They are providing our students with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, which allow them to gain skills they will use when they enter the field of communications. Our students have gained national recognition for their work in this area, and a large part of that, beyond the great work of Mr. McDonough, is because of the successful partnership we have forged with CCTV over the years.”