Article Text

Alexandria City High School has opened a newly renovated television and broadcast studio designed to give students hands-on experience with the tools and routines used in professional media production.

Unveiled on Dec. 12, 2025, the studio supports career-focused learning in journalism, filmmaking, broadcasting and digital storytelling. The renovation was financed with federal grant money included in Alexandria City Public Schools’ capital improvement budget.

The transformed facility features an anchor desk, a separate space for stand-up reports, backlit signs, teleprompters, professional cameras and upgraded lighting. Students can now write scripts, direct broadcasts, operate cameras and produce segments through workflows modeled on those of television newsrooms.

ACPS Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt described the project as a complete transformation rather than a simple update to the former studio. She said its technology, software and set give Alexandria’s students an experience comparable to working at local, regional and national television stations.

The difference is already apparent in the school’s morning announcements, which now have the look and production quality of professional broadcasts.

The studio is central to the school’s TV and Media Production class. Students collaborate to plan, record, edit and deliver content for broadcasts across the school. Producing a five-minute video package can require an entire class period, with students filling several technical and editorial roles.

Their assignments include features about school life, coverage of athletic events and stories from around the Alexandria community.

Senior Laura Barry-Lenger said during the opening that the class lets students document subjects ranging from sports to local culture. She called the studio “amazing” and said its professional equipment would better prepare students for broadcasting careers.

The facility also houses ACPS-TV, the school division’s television station. Available through cable and online, the station carries school and division news, student productions, public service announcements, and coverage of community events and School Board meetings.

Former student Trudy Hardman, who graduated from the program in 2025 and is studying cinema at Virginia Commonwealth University, said the program prepared her well for the technical side of filmmaking.