SEVA Studio: River Oaks Elementary School

KROC News
Galt Joint Union Elementary SD
Established: 2017

Studio Profile

River Oaks Elementary’s Video Tech Club meets one week a month to put together their school broadcast. All components of the video are created in this short time including script, new stories and the actual broadcast. Students are selected the first semester and remain in the club for the entire year. Students are encouraged to utilize their skill set and apply it to the area of the broadcast they are passionate about. Students also have the opportunity to learn and grow by teaching one another.

The program at River Oaks allows students to get experience in various pathways that they may not know existed. They witness first hand how important communication and collaboration are by the dynamic their teachers have. They also learn the importance of being responsible and caring out their part because of the various responsibilities each student has to put the show together. Students have the opportunity to really explore the world of media and develop skills that may be unique to them.

Mara Firestone and Lori Ginni are the dynamic duo that started the media program at River Oaks Elementary in the Galt Elementary Joint Union School District. Ms. Firestone and Ms. Ginni worked seamlessly as a team to help teach students the basics of media and video technology. They are both known for having a great sense of humor and making their students laugh.

In 2019 Ms. Firestone continued on to new opportunities, but Ms. Ginni keeps the programming going in her absence. Students describe Ms. Ginni as kind, and she is known for keeping their students on track with their work to ensure they are able to meet deadlines. Her students rely on her guidance and come to the media club knowing she’ll be there to help them put their best work forward. Ms. Firestone and Ms. Ginni have shown us what a powerful force two amazing teachers can be and how big of an impact a SEVA program can make for teachers and students alike.