The communications village nearly had no students. The school first lined up for it dropped out late in planning, and the film and video program at Thurston High School in Springfield stepped in. Its teacher, Bren Bovee, brought about 15 students. Most came from the same class, and most were rising seniors who had been in the program for all three years it had existed. They already shared a workflow, and that mattered: a team that knows its own routines can spend its energy on a new environment.
Bovee runs his program as a work simulation. Students have cameras in their hands on the first day and make things over and over, because that is how anyone gets good at film. Camp tested whether that approach would hold outside school. A class period is 85 minutes. Camp days ran 14 to 16 hours. “You don’t have a videography or a marketing director career in 85 minute burst,” he said.
By his account, some students found out at camp that they had what it takes, and some found out they were not ready yet. He counted both as useful. “There’s no grades here,” he said. The only question was whether a student met the moment, and the ones who did not would get help building toward it in the fall.
Who worked with them
Two professional documentary filmmakers from a local production company, who ran cinema cameras and coached students on them.
Agency public information officers. The Department of Forestry partner on the team lined up four emergency-management PIOs trained in ICS to work with students.
A CERT communications truck, on site all week through the county emergency management partner. Students could document it and interview its operators.
The planning chief, who worked directly with the students assigned to Planning.
Student roles. The team posted roles before camp, and students signed up for up to three:
Documentary camera, focus and boom audio, beside the professionals.
Note taker and script supervisor, logging what the crew shot and what people said.
Behind-the-scenes crew, capturing the student experience on the school’s cameras and recruiting interview subjects.
Interview station crew, running a fixed two-camera “confessional” that stayed open all week. The article “Running the interview station” describes it.
Editors, cutting daily social pieces in an edit suite.
Public Information Officer team.
Planning section team.
The last two are command roles. The article “Students in the command structure” describes their duties.
What the team set out to make:
Deliverable | Target | What it was for |
Social posts | About six a day | Live coverage and partner visibility |
Family update | Daily | Reassurance at home, via ParentSquare |
Session coverage | All week | Be 2 Weeks Ready, WiseMind, employability skills, the rescue dog |
Features | All week | Standout students, educators, a counselor, the chef, an EMT, guests |
Four “experience” pieces | After camp | The Builder, the Cook, the Safety Officer, the Communicator |
Showcase loop and flyer | Thursday | Images and camp accomplishments for guests |
Archive footage | All week | A documentary, training modules and future recruiting |
Students had content online on day one.
The kit:
Item | Quantity | Source | Use |
Canon C70 cinema cameras | Two from the filmmakers and one rental in the May plan | Production company; rental | Documentary coverage and the interview station; the rental went to students for assigned moments |
Boom microphone and Zoom H4 recorder | One set | Production company | Follow-along audio |
DJI Mic Mini wireless microphone kits | Four sets of two | Camp director | Quick behind-the-scenes capture on phones and tablets |
Nikon D5600 cameras | Two | Camp director | Offered for stills |
School camera systems | As available | Thurston | Behind-the-scenes crew |
Consumables | About 100 AA batteries, rechargeable batteries and charger, gaffer tape | Camp purchase | Everything above |
Ground rules to copy
One adult has final approval on everything posted.
Every interview is voluntary. The opening brief told students they could decline.
Check the media release list before publishing anyone’s image or name, and keep that list with whoever approves posts.
Teach what is confidential. In a practice exercise, PIO students sorted what they knew from what they could share, and learned to keep personal information and investigation details out.
Set a phone policy for the team and a single platform for uploading and logging footage. The 2026 team weighed Slack, Basecamp and Discord, plus an analog bulletin board.
Tag the host site and partners in every post. The site host noticed when posts left it off.
Keep a “must have” list of people to get into the interview chair: the core planners, lead educators, partners and students with stories to tell.
Lesson from year one: site boundaries. Communications students go everywhere. In 2026 they did not get a clear brief on which parts of the host’s building were open to them, and that caused friction with the host. Walk the team and its educator through the boundaries on day one, and introduce them to the host’s own communications staff.