Video of the Day: Good Morning, Toby Johnson

School may be out for the summer, but Elk Grove students will be taking with them the skills they learned throughout the year.

For 12-year-old Michelle Seo, that meant directing a cast of other seventh- and eighth-graders to produce a daily news program about the goings-on at Toby Johnson Middle School...live.

First Things First, which last month won best news program at the Student Educational Video Awards in Sacramento for the third year in a row, is entirely student-produced and quickly became a hit on campus.

"I think it's cool being on TV, because you get to tell the students what's happening at school," said Seo. "You just keep them updated."

Teacher Dana La Chapelle had no television experience when she started her video production club, using grant money to outfit a former woodshop as a studio.

The show replaced the reading of the daily school bulletin as a more engaging way to keep kids informed.

"We had two weeks when we were down because our broadcasting equipment failed, and teachers were like, 'Oh my gosh, nobody knows what’s going on,' " said La Chapelle.

Students rotate roles, from directing to scriptwriting to manning cameras, and create their own segments. "What's Hot and What's Not" looks at trends on campus, while "The 411" highlights an interesting piece of national or international news.

In the students' award-winning video, a segment called "Understanding Slang" shows a straitlaced math teacher breaking down the meaning of "off the hook" with a roaring fire in the background. (Fast-forward the attached video to the 10-minute mark to view.)

"Probably the most challenging thing is worrying about messing up because it's a live show," said Natalie Stoecklein, 12, who joined the club as a seventh-grader and will continue next year. "You try your best not to screw up and you practice the script. What happens on camera is what happens."