“Good morning GlenOak!” comes from the same voices behind the daily morning announcements. However, there is more that goes on behind the scenes of this normal daily school routine.
A special part of GlenOak’s announcements is that it is broadcast by members of the student body, compared to other schools that use staff to voice the announcements.
“I think it’s a nice way to include students and give them a way to step out of their comfort zone.” senior Lily Sims said. “I think if a staff member did it, it would be less engaging, while hearing a fellow classmate do the announcements makes people want to listen,”
Sims has been a part of the announcement crew for two years. She joined because the organizers were looking for Speech and Debate kids and she was one of the students that was chosen. At the end of last year, Sims did a test run and signed up for this year.
However, doing announcements is just not open to Speech and Debate students; anyone can do morning announcements. Students who are interested can reach out to student council adviser Natalia Kellamis, the organizer of the morning announcements.
“While there is no application process, we consider a student’s speaking and reading ability and their confidence speaking in front of the student body.” Kellamis said. ”They also need to have excellent attendance and the ability to commit to being at school at least every other day at the beginning of third period. We also prefer to choose students who are current seniors due to tradition,”
In the spring of the previous school year the Student Council created a list of potential students to do announcements. After the list is made, students are contacted to make sure they are able to do the announcements. In May, they send out a sign-up sheet so any student can try out for the announcements before they fully commit to creating a schedule.
“In addition to the tradition of students doing announcements as a representation of the student body, I would think it is more fun for students to hear their peers rather than a staff member every day,” Kellamis said.
With so many different students speaking for the announcements every day,a schedule needs to be created to keep everything in check.
“This year, we sent out a big spreadsheet with spots for each month of the year. There is a person to read announcements for each day, A and B, and a backup person for each day.” Kellamis said. “If a student knows they will miss announcements, they will contact their backup so someone is ready. There is a separate rotation schedule for the SOAR cards, consisting of three students this year, which is also on that spreadsheet,“
Most people hearing the announcements do not think about the way they are broadcast to the whole school.
Announcements are broadcast through the microphone, which is located in the financial secretary’s office.
”Basically, you’re just in a room with a microphone. You just click the button, and there’s a paper with what to say. It’s really easy,” Sims said.
There is a lot more that goes on behind the scenes of announcements than most people think. From choosing students, to why and how they are chosen for them, it is a part of school life that requires more effort than what is seen.
“The announcements are one of a few ways we communicate to all students about things going on in the school. We can tell people about upcoming events, important deadlines, and celebrate all the cool things you all do,” Kellamis said.
