PEORIA, Ill. – $1.5 million in state budget money is going to Peoria Public Schools — specifically, Peoria High School — to create something that might end up putting some of us in the media, out of business.
It’s called “P Media” — first thought of by State Representative Jehan Gordon-Booth, based on other schools that have done similar things successfully.
“You’ll be connected to adults who have skills in these areas,” said Gordon-Booth (D-Peoria), to Peoria High students Thursday. “You can even geek out on projects to create your own music, your own videos, your own 3-D and 2-D designs, create your own podcasts, create your own books. You can write your own destiny in here.”
District 150 officials say it’s the kind of thing that could help students, who might not have otherwise had the opportunity, shine.
“I know that we have students that are A-B students and they get recognized. But we have students also that are C students who, if they had the opportunity to show their talent and to show their creativity, would become A students,” said Martha Ross, PPS Board vice president.
District officials say the media lab will be in the planning stages next school year, and will open up in time for the 2023-2024 school year. It will likely be available during the school day as an elective course, with possible expansion if it goes well, and could even become available to students district-wide.
