The challenge
Livingston Public School’s educational technology coach, Lisa Leblanc, identified several concerns with conventional morning announcements. Between students not being able to hear them, students prioritizing social time with peers over them, and students not paying attention to teachers delivering them, one thing became clear very quickly: the approach had to change.
The solution
Instead of repeating morning announcements twice a day for those who missed them, Lisa formed "Heritage Happenings" (HTV). While teachers facilitate, students each take on roles to prepare the following day’s announcements. Depending on whether or not students decide to be on camera, some of these roles include:
- Anchors
- Editors
- Features
- Script writers
- Boom operators
- Lighting designers
- Videographers
- And more
The format of morning announcements generally includes a daily quote, a fun fact, lunch offerings, times for sports practices, and more.
The results
Beyond a creative multimedia project, HTV has become an inclusive, school-wide operation to engage every type of learner. With WeVideo, Livingston Public Schools has access to an easy-to-use, student-led workflow that is ready-made for Chromebooks and seamlessy integrates with their LMS, Schoology.
Students also leverage WeVideo for:
- Customizable and ready-made templates: Students brand a WeVideo template with their HTV logo, a green background, and auto-generated captions for easy-to-read announcements.
- Green screen features: Quick-access green screen tools help students produce studio-quality videos, without the studio-level budget.
- Self-paced learning: Students use WeVideo Academy and certification courses to develop critical video editing and creation skills.
Key takeaways
As a result of pairing creating HTV with the help of WeVideo, Lisa sees how easily students can:
- Record and import videos
- Customize captions
- Layer clips properly
Beyond increased student engagement, students also talk among each other to collaborate on music for the next announcement.
Hear the full story
Check out Lisa's approach to leveraging student engagement for morning announcements with WeVideo, recorded during WeVideo's first annual 2025 ENGAGE virtual conference:
Practical strategies for educators
- Start small: Lisa encourages educators to use WeVideo’s morning announcements templates or script writing templates to save time.
- Make it easy for other teachers: Streamline the technology so that other teachers feel empowered to show it to their students.
- Keep it simple and fun: Don’t lose sight of the ultimate goal. Learning is most effective when it’s fun, community-building, and connective.