By William Biersach (’22)

Meeting in person for morning meetings is not possible because of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, thanks to Mr. Bohanek, his team, and student government, students can now enjoy morning meetings from the comfort of their own advisories via the new show Good Day, DA. The shift from in-person meetings to a television-like format unlocks lots of creative potential and creates new challenges. 

Origins

Edward Rogers (‘22), school president, had a vision for some sort of online morning meeting. The Community Programming Committee, led by Mr. Bohanek, shared that vision and reached out to Edward and Mr. Klein, who is the student government advisor. They created a team made up of Mr. Bohanek, Mr. Kavanaugh, Chaz Strickland (‘22), and Kaitlyn Kushner (‘22). Edward assumed the role of leading the show on air.

Success

The first show was a massive success. There were no significant technical difficulties, and the crew proved that online morning meetings are not only possible but an opportunity to include features that in-person meetings do not have. For example, online morning meetings can include graphics and videos that are more integrated into the presentation.

Challenges

The most recent show challenged the crew with a number of technical difficulties including one instance where Edward’s voice came on air when it should not have. This show included an outdoor interview that required a second camera. While the interview went well, the technology interrupted the show. There can only be one camera presenting at a time. The crew switches presenters, using Microsoft Teams as its platform. Switching evidently presents many unpredictable challenges to the crew. At the end of last week, the whole team met to address the issues. This Monday they hope to depend less on technology in order to have a smooth show.

“In the future, we are looking to expand the function of our morning meeting with new segments and different cameras, but we are also conscious of the fact that adding more technology has the potential to create more problems,” said Edward Rogers. The balance between impressive presentation and technical challenges lies at the core of best running the show.

Learning on the Job

“One of the biggest realizations that I think all of us involved in the production of Good Day, DA! have had is that the producers of the Weekend Update segment on Saturday Night Live make it look really easy. As of now, we as a team have a lot more to learn about video production and broadcasting, but we are excited to do so and share our findings with the school,” said Kaitlyn Kushner. The whole team has done an amazing job, especially since this is the first year there has been an online morning meeting. The show will only get better as the year goes on.

More Student Involvement

One huge advantage of the new format is how it has encouraged greater student involvement. Mr. Bohanek recently solicited FlipGrid submissions for the show in an email to the whole school. There is also a Community Programming button on Veracross for students looking to present in the show. The team is looking to incorporate more recurring segments as well.

Better Normal

“This new morning meeting system has the potential to effectively replace in-person morning meetings while we are living in this reality,” said Edward. The show may even do more than just replace in-person morning meetings, it could be an improved version. “There’s not a rigid format for the show, so we have lots of room to try new segments and ideas every week,” Kaitlyn added.

Technical difficulties or not, the whole Good Day, DA! team has done an excellent job adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic. Who knows, Good Day, DA! could be here to stay. The student body can rest assured that the Good Day, DA! team will work hard to make the show even more entertaining than in-person morning meetings.