My name is Peyton Zelasko, but I have gradually started answering to “PJ” along with my real name, because Mr. Currin thinks it’s humorous for some reason. In the beginning of the school year I was given the title “Reporter,” however I somehow evolved into an Anchor on WACS news by the start of the second semester, and I can honestly say that I am glad I was presented with this opportunity to learn and excel in broadcasting. My sophomore year I signed up for the Online Publishing course with Mr. Currin as the instructor. Online Publishing quickly turned into WACS News as it previously was, and because of my interest in Online Publishing, I decided to sign up for WACS News my senior year. Also, seeing how much fun and school spirit the prior classes had in this class persuaded me into taking this course. In the upcoming Fall I will be attending the State University of New York at Fredonia. There I will be studying English education with a Spanish concentration in hope to be, by the end of my four years, teaching English to students who speak Spanish. I can honestly say that a majority of the staff here at Alden (especially Mr. Currin) has assisted and inspired me in choosing this career path.

Over the course of this school year, my quality of work has evidently improved. My very first video as a reporter started at the Intermediate school in which I interviewed the third through fifth graders about the new playground along with their opinions on the merging of the Intermediate and Middle schools. I traveled multiple times to the Primary school to talk to the younger children about Thanksgiving and Christmas related topics. I often worked around the Middle School as well to talk to teachers and students about why they were thankful for each other, and other exciting topics. Traveling to the different schools within the district and interviewing younger students was by far my favorite part about WACS News because it solidified my decision in working with children in the future. Then, as I was promoted to News Anchor, I took on a variety of new responsibilities. Working with Carl and Brooke was so entertaining and I think the three of us worked proficiently together. They both helped me adjust to this new roll, and I’m glad I was able to share a ton of memories with them. On another note, my “In the Halls” projects could’ve probably used some more work. It would help if more students wanted to be on camera, that way I could get a wider variety of opinions of various topics. Along with that, my interviewing still needs work mostly with teachers. I found it comfortable to talk to students, but I get nervous for some reason around those older than me. I could probably say that I mastered iMovie, and I am very thankful for that because I work on iMovie in other classes such as Chemistry and AP Literature. I have learned that procrastinating is BAD and it is much less stressful to complete your work before the day of the deadline.

Upcoming students should enroll in WACS News for a variety of reasons, such as the following. WACS News gives students the opportunity to work with people of all different ages. It improves your interviewing skills tremendously. Being forced into interviewing people has honestly been one of the biggest blessings in disguise in high school. This will prepare everyone for job interviews and make you into a much better public speaker also, which is something I have always struggled with. My biggest piece of advice for the underclassmen is to have fun with this class. Have school spirit and take pride in your school and community! Take risks and go out of your comfort zone. This course has increased my inner confidence working with people, and I hope WACS News continues to do so with the future classes.

Alden High school is beyond lucky to have WACS News to present all of the latest greatest within the community and school. WACS News encourages the students to have spirit within their hometown, while also being very informative about upcoming sporting, and music related events. For the community as a whole, WACS News serves as a source of “information at your fingertips” for everything Alden related such as the budget and renovations within the village and town. I have been lucky enough to be a part of WACS News and share very funny memories with everyone in this class. Mr. Masci and Mr. Currin have both been very helpful and encouraging individuals who have pushed me to become the best contributor that I could be to this newscast. The district should be very thankful to have such influential teachers at the high school.  WACS News is an overall beneficial and memorable elective that I wish every student had the ability to take in high school.