WTHS wins top honors in the state for its weekly newscast

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – Students in the broadcast journalism class at Tupelo High School are celebrating after winning big at a recent statewide competition.

Every week, students, staff, and teachers at Tupelo High School tune in for the latest broadcast from WTHS.

The newscast is produced by students in the broadcast journalism class.  Katrina Berry Ivy has taught that class for the past three and a half years and during the recent Mississippi Scholastic Press Association Awards, WTHS came away with 29 awards, including Newscast of the Year.

“Extremely proud of that because that recognizes students who you may not see behind the camera, but they are filming, editing video and it also recognizes students in front of the camera,” Berry-Ivy said.

WTHS also won best news story and best news anchor.  And out of nine students chosen as top journalists in the state, three are from Tupelo High School.

22students are part of WTHS media this spring semester and Ivy says they are a tight-knit group.

“We try and create a family atmosphere in here, it’s a team, they cheer for each other, they work together, it’s really more like a family, very proud of them,” Berry-Ivy said.

Students say being part of WTHS Media has helped them in many ways and helps them prepare for the future.

” I would definitely say, I’ve become a way better writer, behind the camera stuff, I’ve also advanced and a lot of that growth is because of seniors and role models I’ve had over the years,” said Shelbie Spain, a Junior at THS.

” The skills I’ve learned in this class will help me whatever I decide to do career-wise, it’s helped me grow so much in my confidence, all around, I feel like everything I’ve learned in this class will help me so much in my time after high school,” said Meri Alan Wolfe, a Senior at THS.

” I’m so thankful for Tupelo High School for having this program and Mrs. Berry, it’s not just a class, it’s family and this class means so much to everybody,” said Sarah Buzzell, a Senior at THS.

Looking ahead, Katrina Berry Ivy and students who will be at WTHS next year say they want to continue the tradition of excellence and telling the stories of their classmates, teachers, and coaches, in fun and creative ways.

WTHS Media was also recognized on a national level with a “Broadcast Excellence Award” by the Student Television Network.