Bolivar’s Media Gift to Local High School Expands Education Opportunities

The Bolivar Central High School (BCHS) Media Department was gifted equipment enhancements from the City of Bolivar as part of grant funding received through the Tennessee Arts Commission. The partnership between the city and school has resulted in additional education options available to students at the high school while also satisfying the needs of media services of the city.

“We usually go out and hire professional people to put it [media productions] all together. I knew it would be an opportunity that maybe the kids could take advantage of since the class [media production] is offered here,” said City of Bolivar Mayor Julian McTizic, who also has a background in production and music. “I know they have trouble sometimes with funding so, I figured if we could expand and partner with the school system, maybe they could offer more classes to teach the students about the equipment and how to use it. They could use the skills they learn and work at our events for community service, so they can get exposure before they actually get out in the real world.”

Teacher Ian Wellons oversees the BCHS media department, which has grown over the past six or seven years since he and Dylan Hill, who is now the Community Development and Tourism Director for the City of Bolivar, worked together at the school.

“Dylan Hill and I started it together when he was a teacher. I was doing the yearbook, and he was doing the newspaper, when Dillon had the idea to push into broadcasting. He had the drive and vision to do it, and I had a lot of technical know-how. We combined our skills and started building this up,” said Mr. Wellons. “When Dillon left, and it fell to me, I sort of took it and ran with it and did everything we had originally talked about.”

Since that time, the media department has grown as well as the number of students who now take the class, which includes tenth grade through twelfth grade students. Some of the projects students have completed include interviewing business owners that were recognized for the Mayor’s Charity Ball and making a promotional video for BCHS, so people could see the offerings at the high school. The department has even been contacted by different organizations for media projects. The new equipment will enable students to enhance their skills they are already learning.

“They are learning the editing process, and they are learning a lot of stuff that not every school has the opportunity to do. It is going to add more video capabilities. Everything we do is sort of piece milled,” said Mr. Wellons, who is excited about the new equipment. “Now, we have a real teleprompter and storage. We have got instant replay for our broadcast, and it will add more opportunity for the students to get hands on experience.”

Mayor McTizic noted the media system the school has is large enough to do digital, audio, and visual productions for any event in Bolivar. The growth in the media department has also offered other options for students to learn new skills in a field they may not have considered.

Although Mr. Hill is no longer a teacher at BCHS, his affection for the school is strong.

“Regardless of whether I am here or not, it is my heart. This is the place that raised me, and I want to see it grow and prosper. Giving our kids every opportunity we can to help them succeed,” said Mr. Hill, a BCHS Class of 2010 graduate. “This is the way they can learn something new, maybe something that sparks their interest in today’s podcaster and TikTok world. Some of them are even finding a new love outside of playing sports and still being involved in the sports. It also gives the public an opportunity to see what the students are capable of. We are raising some really smart and educated kids right here in Bolivar and they get to see that with this.”

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