‘Good Morning, North Forrest’ Sparks Students’ Interest in Broadcasting

North Forrest High School (NFHS) in Eatonville is a rural high school in the Forrest County School District with a population of approximately 350 students in grades 7-12. Although the school is small, the students have very big dreams.

In the Digital Media Technology (DMT) II classroom, students are preparing their portfolios for their futures. DMT II students have hosted, produced and edited a weekly news show — “Good Morning, North Forrest” — since the 2021-2022 academic year.

“We wanted to try something new this year. COVID-19 has kept a lot of our students confined to their classrooms, so we decided to bring a little bit of normal to them,” Malia Triggs, the school’s DMT instructor, said.

Students work each week to present announcements and interviews with new staff members, coaches and other students they may not routinely interact with due to COVID-19 restrictions. In addition to the weekly news program, the students work closely with various departments on campus to produce promotional and informational materials distributed via social media. Students also previously produced a 20-minute Christmas special in conjunction with various departments around campus that showcased the many projects and specialties of the department.

“We love doing the news each week. It’s challenging but with good time management, we have been able to make it work,” Triggs said.

Kelsey Parkman and Demarco Baker — two seniors who host the weekly news program — decided to pursue careers in mass communication after their experience in DMT II.

“I had never really thought about working in the news until I worked on the news in DMT. Now I really can’t see myself doing anything else,” Parkman said.

Both Baker and Parkman hope to find their way onto a network one day and follow in the footsteps of 2017 NFHS graduate Brandi McGill, who completed DMT I and II while enrolled at NFHS and used the knowledge she gained in program to launch a career in journalism. She currently co-hosts the morning news show on WDAM-TV in Hattiesburg. McGill also serves on the advisory board for the NFHS digital media program.

North Forrest High School (NFHS) senior Tavon Curry prepares to tape “Good Morning, North Forrest,” the weekly news show produced by the school’s Digital Media Technology (DMT) II students.

DMT II students Demarco Baker and Kelsey Parkman host “Good Morning, North Forrest.”