Goochland High to host first TV, Media Film Festival May 15

Goochland High School will put its rebuilt TV and media program on public display Friday, May 15, when it hosts its first-ever TV/Media Film Festival at 6 p.m. on campus. The evening will bring together student speakers, awards and exclusive previews of two documentaries that students have spent the past six months planning, filming and editing.

The festival gives Goochland families a look at more than finished videos. It shows a class that has been working through the full production cycle, from concept to camera work to editing, and it puts student voice at the center of the event. By opening the program to the entire Goochland community, the school is turning a classroom project into a countywide milestone.

That matters in a division that has made college and career readiness part of its identity. Goochland County Public Schools says it is one of 15 Virginia School Divisions of Innovation, and all five of its schools are Apple Distinguished Schools. The district also says Career and Technical Education courses merge academic knowledge and technical skills in real-world applications, while work-based learning is designed to expose students to career pathways through coursework, guest speakers and other experiences. The film festival fits neatly into that approach, giving students practice in communication, technical production, project management and storytelling.

The event also suggests the TV and media program is regaining momentum after a restart and building toward something durable. Goochland High School has already shown it can make technology-driven instruction part of its school identity. In 2022, the school won the RVATech Community Impact Award for using virtual reality to support student learning, work led by Library Media Specialist Calypso Gilstrap and Instructional Technology Coach Catherine Richards. Richards was also named a Virginia Society for Technology in Education Coach of the Year that same year. The new film festival extends that record of using technology to deepen student learning rather than treat it as a novelty.

The timing adds to the sense of a busy spring at Goochland High. A theater arts showcase was listed for May 14, and a dance recital is also on the calendar for May 15, placing the film festival among a string of student performances and public showcases. For Goochland, the first TV/Media Film Festival is more than a one-night screening. It is a sign that the county’s creative pipeline is getting stronger, one student documentary at a time.