WEST ALEXANDRIA — Students at Twin Valley South High School are reaching out to the community and student body through social media, including Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
During the Twin Valley Community Local Board of Education meeting on Monday, Feb. 24, teacher Brandy Woodrey and student John Allen Coffman presented TVS Panther Den to the board and those gathered, starting by sharing the trailer located on their YouTube channel titled The Panther Den.
“We have started what we are coining the TVS Panther Den and it is a YouTube channel, Instagram account, and Twitter feed that is basically student run. It is a way to work with kids, incorporate technology, make community connections, and hopefully improve our school culture,” Woodrey explained.
At press time, four official episodes had been published to YouTube, including topics such as motivational health, mental health, physical heath, and community outreach. Two bonus episodes with tips from teachers had also been published at press time.
“We are continuing this, there is much more to come,” she said. “A lot of the people we have interviewed have also [graduated from Twin Valley]. I think sometimes kids just have a smaller focus when they’re here in high school and middle school and they don’t realize all the options that are out there for them.
“I think this is a great way to interview a lot of experts that are out there and it is an even bigger bonus if they happen to graduate from Twin Valley. We have a giant document where we brainstorm — we have all sorts of great ideas. Again, it is all student [run].”
Coffman spoke about the feedback from the students involved, sharing they’ve had the opportunity to meet new people in the community and learned to be more outgoing through interviewing and interacting with their subjects. They have also learned how to edit videos.
“We feel like this Panther Den will help create memories for many years to come. We are very passionate about this project. We want this to continue for many years,” he said.
He added, they hope to eventually make TVS Panther Den an elective class at Twin Valley South.
For more information on TVS Panther Den, visit YouTube @The Panther Den, Instagram @TVSPantherDen, Twitter @TVSDen, or email [email protected].
