By Sabrina Bates
When people hear “PBS,” images of shows like Curious George, Super WHY, Daniel the Tiger, and Sesame Street come to mind. While free programming is a large part of what public broadcasting stations provide to their communities, education and community engagements are some of the most impactful aspects of PBS.
Locally, West TN PBS offers all kinds of benefits to 16 counties across West Tennessee. West TN PBS is also known as “WLJT.”
“I want our communities to know that I am here. I look at where I can help the most and where I am needed,” West TN PBS Manager of Education and Community Engagement Jennifer Medford said. Medford is a former educator and McKenzie resident.
It only took a few minutes in Medford’s office, decorated in PBS KIDS’ merchandise, to realize how much energy and passion she brings to the position. Both are a necessity when working with community members who are young, young at heart, and everyone in between.
Medford’s role at West TN PBS encompasses weekly newsletters for educators, visits to schools and head start locations, hands-on activities to families, character visits to local libraries, and applying for grants relevant to local communities.
“I love the uniqueness of each of our counties. Most everything we do is partnership oriented. Our partners are engaged in what’s going on and try to have a presence with our events,” Medford shared.
When COVID-19 impacted the region in 2020, much of the community engagement moved to a virtual presence. With the pandemic easing, Medford is full speed ahead with projects throughout West TN PBS’ coverage area.
In Benton County, Medford’s department has a partnership with Benton County Schools, the Benton County Library, Benton County’s Head Start programs, and even provided resources for families during Camden’s drive-thru baby shower in September 2022.
In November, visitors to the Benton County Library were treated to a PBS sponsored STEAM event where they created kites. A winter-themed event was recently held at the library where children built “snowball launchers” and tested them out that day.
Showcasing PBS KIDS characters is a fraction of the engagement events that the team at West TN PBS offer for communities. Medford’s engagement also includes working with educators, working with classrooms and coordinating STEM and STEAM hands-on events throughout the school year. Medford has a STEM partnership with schools in Benton County.
Area PBS stations work with the Tennessee Department of Education, which includes helping create free lesson plans using PBS programming for teachers. PBS also works with organizations and agencies such as the Salvation Army, health departments, Scouts, community centers, and Boys and Girls Clubs.
In addition, Medford incentivizes self-paced, online training for educators through monthly gift-card drawings. Educators who take advantage of the self-paced programs earn certificates as well as chances to win local gift cards.
For educators who haven’t had a chance to use PBS Learning Media, Medford can get them set up for access to thousands of free lesson plans that are timely and linked to a range of PBS programs. Subjects include history, engineering, math, social studies, English, STEM activities, and everything in between.
A major, annual event sponsored by West TN PBS is underway. The local station opened entries for the annual Young Writers and Illustrators Contest, which is a free-to-enter contest for children in grades K-5. Children are asked to create their own illustrated books for a chance to win prizes and the opportunity to be filmed reading their books on a WLJT broadcast. Entries must be postmarked by March 27.
The annual contest is a popular one at local schools as teachers have historically used it as a classroom project. Medford believes the educators who dedicate time to promote the contest are just as important as the students who submit their stories.
The education and community manager offers prizes in the form of local gift cards for teachers who submit the most student entries. Medford is seeking more gift card sponsors from businesses across West Tennessee. Anyone interested in donating to the effort can contact Medford at 731-881-7561 or [email protected]. In the history of the contest, winners have spanned from Brownsville to Camden to Dyersburg and everywhere in between.
Sponsors for any of the outreach activities offered by the local PBS station are always welcome and encouraged. Medford said she is excited about a recent partnership with Delta Dental that engages school-age children on healthy habits but is also an opportunity to tackle a rural challenge across the state. That challenge is the lack of available dentists in rural areas. A goal of the project is to peak students’ interest in the field of dentistry.
Organizations, schools, educators and agencies interested in becoming a partner with or learning what resources are available to them, are encouraged to contact Medford. To learn more, view local programming time slots or donate to the station, visit westtnpbs.org.
