The Washington Junior High School T.V. Broadcasting class is a course that infuses ten students into the world of news broadcasting and feature programming. This group of ten students are affectionately referred to as THE NEWS TEAM!  Kids  who have shown the necessary aptitude and character traits during their seventh grade school year are issued an application, interviewed, and screen tested.  Those kids that make the final cut are given a binding contract and are then trained for the team. Potential news team members are targeted through school records and teacher recommendations.  News team  members learn the fundamentals of news broadcasting including the technical and journalistic sides of the profession. They are a part of the team for their entire eighth grade year. The team will produce approximately 60 broadcast over the course of a normal school year with numerous special features. The T.V. Broadcasting course has its own studio and modulator to broadcast on channel nine every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the entire school. This learning environment is as real as it gets with deadlines, technical challenges and performance pressures. Mr. Allen is the instructor and producer for the news broadcast. He is the 2002 T.I.E. (Technology In Education) award winner which was given for his work with the W.J.H.S. news team.  He was also W.J.H.S. teacher of the year in the 2003 - 2004 school year.  Past teams have had articles written about them in the Houston Chronical, and Pitsco Networking Magazine.