Brookwood Elementary recently implemented a new communication tool for parents and the community with the launch of a school radio station. Named “The Lion’s Roar” after the school’s mascot, the station is on the radio dial at 99.9 FM and broadcasts within a one-block radius of the school 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Brookwood teacher Paul Weaver says the idea for a radio station came about during a school council meeting.

“The school council consists of students, parents, teachers, administrators and local business representatives,” he said. “The council thought the station would be a great way to help parents and the community stay connected to our school.”

Principal Will Esters asked Weaver to be in charge of broadcasting for the station.

“Coach Weaver is a great teacher,” Esters said. “The students admire and look up to him and he is great at organizing and making things happen.”

It didn’t take long to get the radio station started.

“We purchased the equipment with money designated for parent communication,” Esters said. “The funds can be used to celebrate student achievement and keep parents informed about our school. The radio station is a wonderful way to do that.”

The equipment is simple. There is a microphone, a small recording box and a FM transmitter that puts out a very weak signal. The school sent out a test broadcast for two weeks prior to starting the real broadcasts.

“We just wanted to make sure that the station didn’t interfere with any other radio stations in the area,” Esters said. “We didn’t receive any feedback, so we started our student broadcasts.”

Weaver and different student volunteers from the third, fourth and fifth grades gather in the morning before school every three or four days to pre-record the information for the broadcasts.

“We opened it up to anyone in third through fifth grade who wanted to give broadcasting a try,” Weaver said. “We have roll call in the morning, and I simply went into the classrooms and went down the roll, asking the students to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to indicate if they wanted to participate.”

Weaver was a little surprised by the outpouring of student volunteers.

“Some students have been very excited by it, even more than we expected, and it’s just been a fantastic experience,” he said. “Since we started early in the year, we should be able to give all our student volunteers the chance to be on the radio. The kids love hearing themselves on the air.”

The four-and-a-half-minute broadcast replays on a continuous loop. Weaver and his students try to get as much information as possible into those minutes. Teachers and administrators drop notes and e-mails to Weaver about upcoming events, classroom announcements, student accomplishments, club meetings and anything else they want to communicate to the public. Information from the school calendar is included as well.

The small room in the library where the broadcasts are recorded comes alive with activity when Weaver and the students meet to share the microphone. The students eat breakfast, discuss the written script, and practice learning their lines. After a few practice sessions, Weaver starts the real recording and does an introduction for the broadcast. The students then join in with their announcements.