Pass the Flag

By: Hannah Bertalot

Cameras flash, microphones screech, and the spotlight shines down on the students of Cody High School: Wired. Wired is a class that focuses on creating various types of media, as well as the art of filmmaking. Students make documentaries, short films, and skits — if it is a type of video, they make it.

Since Betsy Ryzewicz stepped down from her teaching position at Cody High School at the end of the 2024-2025 school year, it was time to pass the responsibility on to someone else, Erika Quick. As a returning teacher and graduate of CHS, Quick is thrilled to return to a class that she was originally part of when it was in its infancy. She loves the class because it allows students to highlight the community, and allows the unique voices of each student to be expressed and heard. “I want the students to work on student projects,” She states. She claims that the class has had an influence on the important happenings in the district, such as legislation and new policies. 

CHS Wired was founded in 1997 by Mike Riley, and Quick reports that she was there to help shape it in its earliest stages. “We would make an episode of Wired every three weeks, and then it would get sent to everyone in the district, and the middle school would have a viewing of each episode shortly after it aired. The class has been passed through several teachers’ hands for years now, and it continues to be built upon, growing each year with the students.”

The class has thrived year after year — for close to thirty years now — based purely on the inspiration and passion of the students who dedicated their time to it. “I like this class for the people,” Brenna Foote, a student who has participated in Wired for four years now, states, and, while it is still early to say, Foote also says, “it sounds like we’re planning to release a lot more episodes this year.” Zayden Colegrove says that because it is a creativity-based class, “I like the free time that it gives me,” so that he is able to work on his projects.  

Azalea Houze (left) and Carlyn Murray (right) work together to edit a video clip

 In an age where everything is online, CHS Wired is a thriving broadcast journalism class with both a passionate teacher and students who all share the joy in the craft of media production.