Lights, Camera, West Bend Schools

New TV commercial will feature many district students

By Beth Williams, Current Staff

As this year’s NFL season draws to a close, the most anticipated game, the Super Bowl, is still coming up.  Even people who do not like football will still gather around their televisions to watch the big game.  Why do they do this?  For one reason only: the commercials.

 This year, the West Bend School District is creating its own commercials that will air during the district’s open enrollment period, which runs between January 3 and April 30.  By the time this project is finished, over 100 students district-wide will have participated in the filming of the commercial.

 This will be the first time that the school district has created commercials to get people who live outside of West Bend interested in the schools.  In the past, the district has mailed out information to area families.  However, the commercials will be more beneficial to the school district because they will be able to reach a larger audience.

 Ted Neitzke, district superintendent, has especially high expectations of these commercials.

 “The commercials will promote great things about our schools,” said Neitzke.  “They will spark interest in our community as well.”

 In addition to this, Neitzke says that that these commercials will help out students attending the schools right now.

 “Colleges will see the students on TV and recognize the students when they apply to them,” said Neitzke.

 In order to make the commercials possible, Neitzke traveled to Image Studios on a fact-finding mission.  He was accompanied by technology teacher Tim Harder, district public information coordinator Amy Kieser, and two Advanced Digital Imaging students.  After touring Image Studios, a high-end professional video and photography company, the group followed up with the company to make a commercial for the WBSD to air during open enrollment.  With the help of Donna Gehl, the owner of Image Studios, the commercials began to take shape.

 This January, some of the playoff games will have to share the spotlight with the West Bend schools.