Middle Creek High School in Apex, North Carolina is one of the only schools in the district that offers a program like Peer Networks, which brings together students to socialize with their peers in the special education program.
Produced by Regina Huerta Palmero, Lily Choplin, Hunter Holmes, Ethan Schwindt and Hannah Kelly at Middle Creek High School in North Carolina. Instruction provided by SRL Connected Educator Luis Maldonado. Mentorship provided by SRL associate producer Kristy Choi. Station support provided by UNC-TV.
Meet the Producers
We decided to produce a story on Peer Networks because we wanted to highlight the impact it has had on all of the students involved. Middle Creek High is one of the few schools in our area that continues to have a successful Peer Networks program every year. We have high hopes that through this story, the staff and students at other schools will be inspired to start a program like this at their own school.
We got the opportunity to work with Erica Starke-Knight from UNC-TV, who helped us tremendously by giving us feedback on our rough cuts and showing us how we can improve our story. The most challenging part of producing this story was getting interviews scheduled because the students and teachers we needed to film have strict schedules. The program takes place only a few times a week, which gave us a very short window of time to film.
The most rewarding part of working on this story by far was when we showed the final version to the students and teachers that have spent years working and improving Peer Networks. The people involved with Peer Networks think this program is very special and found the video emotional to watch. Ms. Megronigle, an administrator who heads the program and who was also in the video, was brought to tears when watching it. She has worked hard to make sure Peer Networks is not only successful, but one of the most enjoyable programs at our school.