Weekly newscast found on YouTube
By NICK VLAHOS
For The Weekly Post
PRINCEVILLE – Students who produce the Princeville School District’s new internet-based news program appear to have learned a few things on the job.
It also appears they might be learning how to handle at least a minor level of fame.
“They’re kind of a little bit like local celebrities,” said Kelly Jenkins, the district’s technology coordinator. “People see them uptown at Casey’s and recognize them from the news.”
The faces of 326 News are anchors Lily Garcia and Mazie Streitmatter, sports reporter Noah Geiger and roving reporter Harper Francis. But they are among 13 Princeville High School students who produce the weekly newscast.
Released on Fridays, 326 News debuted in September. The title comes from the district’s state code. Students and staff throughout the district can watch each episode in homerooms shortly after it’s released each week. Episodes, which run 10-15 minutes, also are available on YouTube and social media.
According to Jenkins, 326 News received almost 125,000 views on Facebook and Instagram during a recent four-week period. The 326 News YouTube channel received more than 6,000 views in January.
Jenkins suggested the numbers are far beyond what she and her students expected.
“We’re amazed every week,” Jenkins said. “When we started, we had high hopes, but we didn’t have hopes as high as what we’ve accomplished.”
A typical episode features Garcia and Streitmatter as hosts of the show. They provide updates on what’s going on at school. Geiger offers results from Princeville varsity sports contests, and Francis interviews students and staff members for a segment called “Maroon Mic.”
For the Feb. 14 edition, Francis asked Princeville Grade School students what they were making for their Valentine’s Day boxes. She also asked married district employees questions about each other in a format like “The Newlywed Game,” the 1960s and ’70s-era television program.
“When she walks in at the grade school, the kids just go crazy,” Jenkins said. “They’re so excited, and they all want to get interviewed.”
In a video shown during a recent Princeville School Board meeting, Francis said she’s interviewed about 300 people this academic year. That represents close to 50% of the Princeville academic community.
“What I’ve learned from this is being more comfortable speaking to other people and more confident in social settings and in front of the camera,” Francis said. “I think it also has improved my ability to think quickly on my feet.”
All 326 News high school student staffers are enrolled as technology and/or mass-communications interns, according to Jenkins. She and assistant Summer Rice oversee the program. Students receive grades, but Jenkins acknowledged it isn’t a typical classroom.
“It’s a work-based learning atmosphere,” she said. “I’m not their teacher. I tell them I’m their supervisor.”
Class time is about 90 minutes every other day. Video recording usually happens Mondays and Tuesdays, editing on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Fridays usually are devoted to planning for the upcoming week.
The group includes nine high school students who work behind the scenes on the tech team: Kaden Blunier, Will Clark, Luke Graham, Owen Harmon, Elijah Menold, Tucker Sennett, Sierra Stahl, Angel Villagomez and Shawn Will.
Princeville graduate Ted Fritzenmeier, a freshman at Illinois Central College in East Peoria, also is part of the group.
Stahl is the lead tech person and camera operator. She said she’s learned about how to record stories, but also about problem solving.
“We’ll have so many ideas that are coming through,” Stahl said. “It’s been super fun to try to get all the ideas across into the video well.”
The multidisciplinary educational possibilities 326 News offers students make it worthwhile beyond the entertainment value, Jenkins suggested.
“They’re learning customer service. They’re learning how to delegate, how to stay organized, how to stay on task,” she said. “And they’re also getting some good writing skills and learning some stuff about creating documents, brochures, flyers and working on some marketing skills, too.”
Jenkins hopes to continue the program in some form during summer break, perhaps monthly. So many students have expressed interest in working on 326 News in 2025-26 that Jenkins might have to conduct auditions to fill spots.
“You can walk through the (high) school during homeroom and you can hear it playing in all the classrooms,” Jenkins said. “You can hear people laughing or clapping. Kids are reminding the teachers when they walk in, ‘Don’t forget – we’ve got to watch the news.’”
