IN Keystone Oaks Winter 2019 | Page 7

SPONSORED CONTENT BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT SPONSORED CONTENT St. Bernard School S Lights, Camera, Action! ince 1926, St. Bernard School has been not only teaching students in the South Hills a competitive academic curriculum thoroughly based in the Catholic faith, it’s been preparing students for life. With academic results that put it on the same footing as public schools, parents who desire their children to become lifelong learners as well as devout practitioners of the faith trust St. Bernard School with their children from preschool through eighth grade. And there’s plenty about St. Bernard School that may surprise you as well—like its in-house television studio that produces a morning broadcast to every classroom and to the world through the school website. “The studio was created about three years ago by our Technology Director, Diane Veri, and three students who were interested in television production,” said Molly Jesso, Director of Development for the school. “Those original students, Brenden, Alex and JP, have graduated, but passed the torch on to five new students who are running the studio this year. They come to school early and do all the production.” Scripts for the morning programs are written by 8th grade students the day before broadcast. Each morning, the scripts are loaded into the teleprompter and the broadcast is recorded and uploaded to the school’s server so that it can be shown in every classroom and online. In-house student anchors people relay the school’s news and events to their peers via classroom smart boards. Not only is school news discussed, but the latest school sports scores, club news and lunch menus, Steelers action, and national items like National Dog Day news. The eclectic broadcast always ends with the joke of the day and is uploaded onto the school website by 9 a.m. There are even special guests like WTAE’s Mike Harvey, Mike Clark and the school pastor who will sit for interviews for the benefit of the school. “It’s not only a teaching tool, but a social tool,” Jesso said. “It’s a great way for kids to learn more and see more about what’s going on in the school, and it also is a good way for kids to get to know other kids in the school. Younger kids get to see who the older kids are, which helps them get more familiar with the school as a whole.” Veri came to St. Bernard from the private sector, where she was teaching business professionals the ins and outs of the hardware and software they needed on a daily basis. Not only does she help students get technological projects like the TV studio off the ground, she oversees two computer labs and all of the students’ laptops. But technology at St. Bernard School is just one facet of the many different ways that it helps prepare students for today’s modern world within a traditional Catholic education, ensuring that their students are every bit as prepared for college as their public school peers. To learn about everything else the school has to offer students, go to the website at stbschool.net, or call 412.341.5444. St. Bernard School is located in the heart of the South Hills at 401 Washington Road, 15216. KEYSTONE OAKS ❘ WINTER 2019 5