Keeli Garceau and the cast and crew of "What's Up Fairfield." (Kate Barcellos)

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Keeli Garceau and the cast and crew of "What's Up Fairfield." (Kate Barcellos)

FAIRFIELD — Whether it’s breaking news or event coverage, the team at “What’s Up Fairfield” probably knows the scoop.

As a way of inspiring creativity and adding even more projects to students’ repertoire, seventh and eighth grade teacher Keeli Garceau at Fairfield Central School took to her camera. She said she’d been making videos with students for years as a way to bulk up their studies and introduce them to new skills.

Jack Barney, Liam Patenaude, Mania Tibbits, Kaitlyn Schoembs, Laura Persons and Cameron Mdgett took what began as “The Maple Wireless” newsletter and brought it to life as their own, school-wide news station.

“I think it makes people feel more included and involved,” Persons said. “Fairfield has a tighter community and people want to know what’s going on. Everybody knows everybody [here].”

The program, called “What’s Up Fairfield,” helps students, staff and teachers check in and see what their peers are up to in their studies and in their neighborhoods. Every other week, a team of three or four of the students film, photograph and document events that happen at the school or in their community, whether it’s boiling maple syrup, serving a pancake breakfast, visiting a sugarbush or their annual field days at the end of the year.

Then, using WeMovie and Canva, the students compile their footage and stills into videos and collages that they share with the school that are aired on their classroom projectors. The students, especially the younger grades, are thrilled to see themselves and their classmates in the live screenings and archives of “What’s Up Fairfield.”

“It’s great to see people enjoying the finished product after we worked so hard on it,” said producer Laura. “This is definitely something we needed here.”

The students’ first interview was with Principal Kelsey Malboeuf when she took up the mantle as the leader of the school earlier this year. One story hooked the students, and many said they end up scheming and dreaming over their weekends and on vacation about how to improve their newfound platform.

“This is fully student-driven,” Garceau said. “[Now] equipment is a hurdle. We have some, but we definitely need more.”

Eager to explore with new gadgets, the students immediately set off to test out their camera skills and quickly found they had much to learn. Roadways, the students found, were not ideal places to shoot episodes because of the traffic noise.

“There was this spot that I really liked outside [for shooting], but it was right next to the road,” student Cameron Mudgett said. “But with the cars going like that, it wasn’t possible.”

Members of the news team also found that some were better suited for different roles than others. Garceau said Liam Patenaude and Kaitlin Schoembs are gifted editors, while Mudgett has the ideal personality for a news anchor and Persons a natural managing editor. The students taught themselves how to edit and quickly became fluent in new software, coming a long way from Mania Tibbitt’s initial brainstorm where she came up with the Maple Wireless.

“It is amazing what they’ve developed in a matter of months,” Garceau said. “It started off with the question: how can we let the community know all of the great things we are doing here? But the kids aren’t really interested in sitting down and writing out an essay anymore. They want to film, to take pictures and use their voice.”

With their greenhouse, crops and school-wide celebrations, the students were spoiled for choice of stories to film. They approached their new projects with high standards, and said they wanted to make quality films that they could be proud of.

“What’s Up Fairfield” is around for good, Garceau said, and her students agreed that they’re excited to build on the show as eighth graders next year.

“I’m excited to see how it evolves next year,” Mudgett said. “We could get so many ideas over the summer of how to perfect it. I’m excited to see where this goes.”

The group even hopes to expand their desk next year, and open the door to some other grades. Persons said a dream would be to stream a weekly Monday segment that they made the Friday before to fill in their classmates about what was happening at school.

“If we had more teams, we could cover more ground,” she said. “I think we need to see that happen.”

Kate Barcellos is a staff reporter for the Saint Albans Messenger. Contact her at kbarcellos@orourkemediagroup.com

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