Students bring reading to life with new project

West Branch High School 10th-grade students have been reading “What Stands in a Storm” by Kim Cross. The book is set in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and tells the story of the worst superstorm in history; three days of tornadoes that traveled across the country in April 2011. Adrienne Lesnett, 10th-grade English teacher, tasked her students with creating breaking-news broadcasts around events portrayed in the book. Content-based instructor Scott Davis provided equipment for the students to film in front of a green screen. Shawn Wiesemann, Tracy Hinkle and McKenzie Wallace, all 10th-grade teachers, also included their students in the project. Above, seated from left, are Lesnett, Rianna Gillingham, Olivia Mossow and Wiesemann. Middle row, are Ashlie Algaier, Starr Leymann, Davis, Matthew Coblentz, Josh Williamson, Isaiah Bivins, Robert Dills, Matthew McKinley, Madison Nutter and Matthew Sinley. Back row, are Mitchell Slanker, Mason Mikes, Tristan Ballard, Frankie Weatherspoon, Brandon Hardy and Jarrett Wyatt.