The cameras were rolling on November 15 in the Chamblee High School gymnasium. Students filled the room, posters covered the wall, and the expectations were high when the four young anchors from Channel One News, a show broadcast in high schools around the nation, ran into the room. 

Then the anchors forgot their first line. So they shot the scene again. And again. And again.

But despite the tedium of two hours of filming in a crowded gym, the efforts of the Chamblee students paid off the next day when the show, filmed almost entirely at Chamblee, was shown in schools all over the nation.

The Channel One visit to Chamblee was part of the “Hacienda on Wheels” series, where Channel One filmed one week of broadcasts at five different high schools throughout the Southeast. The show is normally based out of Los Angeles, so the tour includes two buses and over 70 personnel. 

“It’s extremely difficult,” said Errol Barnett, an anchor on the show who is a sophomore at Santa Monica College. “I had to talk to all my teachers, and I am carrying around a big load of books.”

Channel One chose to film at Chamblee after representatives from the station visited the school and were impressed with the diversity and intelligence of Chamblee students.

The Channel One crew, assisted by members of the Chamblee Broadcast Department, spent an entire day filming at Chamblee.

They individually filmed members of the cheerleading squad and rifle team for an introduction to the show, and the entire school spent about two hours in the gymnasium filming what, after editing, was about seven minutes of footage.

The scene during filming was remarkably calm, with one floor director without a megaphone easily quieting the entire Chamblee student body.

“After it was over, I thought it was wonderful,” said Chamblee Principal Rebecca Chambers. “There were no major problems whatsoever.”

Most of the Chamblee students were also positive about the experience.

“You could tell [Channel One]  worked with kids a lot,” said Sean Sullivan, who was one of the four Chamblee students chosen to answer the “question of the day” from Channel One. “Most of the people were pretty laid back.”

Teachers were also present at the filming, though for the most part, they did not appear in the final footage.

“I think [the show] is a great opportunity for the school,” said history teacher Steve Rubino. “The students get to see something different.”

However, the reviews of the show were not all sparkling, with some students complaining that the show did not represent the clubs or special opportunities Chamblee offers.

“I thought it was pretty stupid,” said junior Nick Austin. “We sat there for two hours and did nothing except cheer when they told us to.”