Wareham High School is strengthening its partnership with Wareham Community Television (WCTV) with the addition of a new audio visual room in the school specifically for the television station.

Wareham High School Principal Scott Palladino said the new space will help more students get involved with the station.

"The cool thing is that we're going to be able to have more of our programs on WCTV," Palladino said. "Now, they're right there."

The school's custodians were constructing a small wall and cleaning out an area for WCTV in the school's library this week while students were on spring break.

"We had an area where we had all the periodicals stored, and now with everything being stored electronically, that room was obsolete," Palladino said.

The space already connects to the high school's existing audio visual room.

WCTV Education Coordinator (and Wareham High School graduate) Christian Fernandes will spend several hours per week at the school helping students with productions.

"What better way to put things on the [WCTV] Education Channel than to have [high school students] create the programming?" Fernandes noted.

Fernandes said he'd like to turn the new space into an additional "half studio" for the high school.

"I want to set up this half studio like a news studio, like you'd see on NBC," he said, adding he'd like to get the students involved in setting up the studio. "They'll all have a part in it."

With technology rapidly evolving, Fernandes said many of the students already have experience shooting video with cell phones and other handheld devices. He said he is eager help students hone the skills they already have and expand on what they learn in technology classes at school.

Palladino shared Fernandes' excitement.

"We're going to be working hand-in-hand," Palladino said. "I think both programs are going to benefit immensely."