After a three-year hiatus, San Rafael High School has finally brought back Broadcast, an elective course taught by Ms. Kilgariff, which, this year, has 22 students enrolled. The class has made its return, thanks in part to a spontaneous senior project during the 2024-25 school year.
“My friends and I ran around asking kids to join the class and convincing counselors to promote the class on slideshows to students,” says Paloma Judd, a Broadcast student and member of the Off the Leash staff. Along with fellow Broadcast student Clive Baker, Judd bears significant responsibility for the class returning. Judd shared that she looks forward to using the space to express herself creatively, making the most out of her senior year before leaving campus.
Ms. Lauren Kilgariff, an English teacher at SRHS, was motivated to teach the class for a second time because she missed the creative chaos of students chasing stories and growing in confidence as they use their own voices.
“It’s our megaphone for belonging,” says Ms. Kilgariff. In her mind, Broadcast gives students a chance to capture what matters to them publicly. She enjoys watching shy students grow into anchors and producers, the buzz on campus when an episode drops, segments that spark real conversations, and the collaboration across classes and clubs.
Broadcasting made its comeback this year because enough students expressed a strong interest in taking it. According to SRHS’s assistant principal, Mr. Kent Morales, a minimum of 20-30 students is needed for a class to be added to the final schedule.
“In talking with students as they chose their courses, we had enough students sign up that we were able to offer the section,” says Mr. Daniel Nemiroff, a counselor at SRHS.
Makayla Patao, a senior in this year’s Broadcast, hopes to boost student engagement with upcoming episodes by incorporating “trendy” content inspired by what students typically see on social media. Patao, along with a few other members of the Broadcast crew, produced a recurring segment called “Senior Corner,” where they interview seniors on popular and relatable topics.
In the first episode, Alexi Cruz, also a senior and part of the Broadcast team, roamed campus asking seniors what song they currently listen to on repeat. Future episode ideas for the segment include car tours, favorite go-to drinks, what’s in the box, and more. “I joined because I enjoy recording and editing video, and because Paloma and Alexa [Grisez, another member of the Off the Leash staff] were begging me to,” Patao says with a giggle.
Judd contributed significantly to the “Broadcast is Back” segment and took on the role of a newscaster. She dresses up as a weather reporter and uses weather-themed puns to present information about school resources and events, which aired on Friday, September 26, 2025, during advisory.
Two seniors, Abdul Azeem Munshi and Avani Mahyavanshi, reflected on their early impressions of broadcasting during their freshman year. “I enjoy watching the video; it showcases diverse opinions and educates students, including myself, on things we wouldn’t otherwise know about,” says Mahyavanshi. “Broadcast made me really excited to be in high school. It was the main highlight of freshman year. I’m so happy it’s been brought back. It’s my favorite program at SR,” says Munshi.
“I think it’s important to be in a normal academic class, but I do think every student should be involved in a hands-on learning class where they’re creating something,” says Mr. Christopher Simenstad, an English teacher at SRHS.
Students would drop their pencils, stop what they were doing, and divert their attention to watch the broadcast, which was played during advisory every first Friday of the month. Ms. Alexander Verheecke, a social studies teacher at SRHS, mentioned feeling engaged to visually see students speaking to their community rather than hearing it over a loudspeaker.
Lee Chretien, a long-standing Math teacher at SRHS, expressed his excitement upon the release of the Bulldawg Broadcast’s first episode, stating, “Broadcast is an opportunity to communicate to students in the way they want to be communicated.”
Evelyn Santa Rosa, a 2022 graduate from SRHS, was a Broadcast and Journalism student alumnus. She observed and spoke on community issues inside and outside of SRHS. In one episode, Santa Rosa shed light on the impact of theft on local businesses in downtown San Rafael.
“You have a voice and a given platform [with Broadcast], so I strongly encourage the current and future broadcast crew to use that opportunity to highlight hard-meaningful news stories that are heavily impacting your community,” says Santa Rosa.
