Members of the Advanced TV Production class at Springfield College put together a feature on one Springfield College faculty member who was directly impacted by the June 1st tornado. The piece was broadcasted on Connecting Point, a program that airs nightly on PBS Springfield. Group members include Gabby DeMarchi, Kelly Foley, Corey Hanlon, and Ryan Matlack.
Staff Writer
The June 1st tornado devastated Springfield College and the surrounding area, and the stories of recovery are still hitting close to home. One of these stories, was captured by a group of students and published on the Springfield PBS affiliate WGBY last week.
Seniors Kelly Foley, Corey Hanlon and Ryan Matlack, and junior Gabby DeMarchi captured the effect that the June 1 tornado had on Dean Mary Healey’s home and life for their Advanced Television Production class when WGBY came looking for another perspective on stories of recovery.
Carrie Saldo, who works for WGBY, helped the students with their pieces to get them ready to air on television.
“We came in halfway through the process and gave them some feedback,” Saldo said. “The students made some really strong adjustments.”
“I found it [the process] more helpful, as a student, because you don’t rely on them,” Matlack said. “You have to troubleshoot a lot of problems yourself.”
Saldo appreciated the chance to work with the students.
“We welcomed the opportunity to see the event through the students’ eyes,” Saldo said.
When asked if she would work with the students again, Saldo replied, “Definitely. We’re already talking to [Assistant Professor of Communications] Jody [Santos] about different story ideas that might be of interest to them and be a worthy concept to our show.”
The students’ work was talked about on the air in one of last week’s shows and the experience provided the students with some excellent resume-building experience while still in college.
“It was the kind of stuff that made me forget that I was going to school,” recalled Matlack. “We were tackling real life problems and situations that you come across when you’re in the field.”