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Student-Led Broadcasts Boost Learning Opportunities and Fan Engagement at Batavia High School

Nov 21, 2024

2 Min Read

By Tyler Schuster

Batavia High School students used student broadcasting opportunities as a way to prepare for the future and increase fan engagement in their community.

Inspiration can strike at any time. For Batavia High School (Illi.), the inspiration to create a student-led broadcast group came from within. As part of the school’s Incubator Entrepreneurship Program, a group of students pitched the idea in a Shark Tank-style presentation and it was quickly met with approval.

The group, named Bandwagon Sports, proposed creating entertaining and relatable sports content that would resonate with the local community.

“Their idea was to take a Barstool approach to high school sports,” athletic director Dennis Piron explained. “...It was a cool concept with dynamic presenters and I thought it went pretty well.”

Student Development Through Broadcasting

Kickstarting a student-broadcast program is no small feat. It took a lot of tinkering, plenty of hard work and a little help from Hudl to make it all happen.

When did the student-led group know they could pull it off? When they heard their voices on a practice stream using a Hudl Outdoor Focus camera overlooking the football stadium.

“All of a sudden, the Hudl camera worked, and they were able to hear their voices over the stream and boom, that was it,” Piron said.

That Eureka moment injected confidence and pride into the student group. The next challenge? Tackling a live broadcast.

On September 1, 2023, Batavia High School seniors Ryne Woods (senior) and John Kohlmeier (junior) carved out just enough space in the booth to run their second student-led livestream. The kicker? It was not just a local livestream, but a national one, as part of Hudl’s Must-See Matchup series.

Piron recalled the feeling before that national broadcast and admitted that the added pressure was an incentive to make sure the stream went off smoothly.

“That sped up our learning curve,” he admitted. “But it also helped us a bit. It got everyone in line from the admin to the tech department…because it had to work, right?”

It was just the second livestream event for the student-led group, but things went off without a hitch. The stream reached a whopping 4,000 viewers nationally and was immediately a sense of pride for the school.

These student-led broadcasts, supported by Hudl tools, have helped students develop valuable skills in digital media and content creation, helping them prepare for future careers in media and broadcasting.

Revenue Generation Through Enhanced Fan Experience

While livestreams have been a great way to teach students valuable skills and drive additional eyeballs to Batavia High School games, that’s not the only way the school has benefited from using Hudl fan tools.

The Hudl platform has made it easy to monetize their athletic programs by streaming games to a larger audience, keeping alumni and far-away community members connected. It’s also been a great platform for raising dollars for the athletic department and boosting school spirit and community involvement in the process.

“So the grandma that lives in Wyoming that can’t come down here to the game, she’s able to tune into the stream,” student broadcaster Hunter Masen explained. “It’s just been a three-way beneficial street to the teams, to us and then to the families, alumni, seniors, whoever we’re trying to target.”

Community Engagement and Brand Building

While not every high school is the same, Batavia High School’s student-led broadcast efforts can be a blueprint for other schools to try similar things.

By using the Hudl Fan Engagement Suite, schools have a premier platform to promote their athletic programs, highlight student achievements and create memorable experiences for both students and fans.