Nearly 500 family members watched the Blacksburg High graduation last week over a large movie projector inside the auditorium. The ceremony was broadcast over a closed circuit television system as a result of a district technology project. (Ledger photo by SCOTT POWELL) Groundbreaking new technology allowed family members to see local high school graduations in an entirely different way on June 6.

Nearly 500 family members watched the Blacksburg High graduation over a large movie projector inside the school's air-conditioned auditorium. Three cameras recorded the graduation ceremony in the gym and then broadcast the program over a closed circuit television system located in the auditorium.

A live video stream of the Blacksburg High and Gaffney High graduation ceremonies were broadcast over the Internet. Military personnel and out-of-state residents were able to click on a hyperlink on the district's Web site (www.cherokee1.k12.sc.us) and watch the graduation ceremony regardless of where they happened to be in the world.

The school district began working on the possibility of an Internet graduation broadcast about a month ago, said Chad Hudson, district director of research and accountability.

Life Safety and Communications Systems provided ViewCast video technology so the district could stream both graduations over the Internet, Hudson said. Cynergi Systems provided a Bose sound system for both graduations.

District Information Management Department staff members Tradd Robinson and John Martin oversaw the live Internet webcast. Blacksburg High teachers Chad Palmer and James Davis along with members of the Gaffney High broadcast program operated the three camera systems used to film the graduation ceremony.

Cameras were remotely controlled so teachers and students could move from graduates to the speaker podium to highlight different graduation activities, Hudson said.

"This was really a group effort between the district's curriculum department, information management department, vendors and school staff members. The feedback we have gotten from the Webcast over the Internet has been really positive," Hudson said. "We are aware of grandparents as far away as Ohio who watched the graduation ceremony over the Internet. We were also able to provide this opportunity for military personnel serving overseas."

Blacksburg High used its video camera system console to make a DVD recording of the graduation ceremony. Palmer said DVDs of the school's graduation will be available for purchase at a later date.

"The auditorium really had the best seats in the house. It was just like family members were right there in the gym watching graduation," Palmer said. "We had pre-sets on the video console in the gym so we could zoom in on individual graduates when they received their diplomas and allow people to see the graduates enter at the start of the ceremony. It was almost like playing a video game."