For high school students, staying connected with friends, family and the world, via Web communication, is typical. Now, schools are finding the Web to be an affordable vehicle for sharing school events and sports through live webcasts; reaching a broader audience, no matter how or where they watch.

Now that live video streaming is easier and more cost-effective, schools on the cutting edge are using this technology to keep fans and communities connected.

Lucasville, Ohio, is home to one such school. Tom Vallance, of the Valley Local School District, an energetic IT manager and Web design teacher, has taken it upon himself to manage a website for Valley Local High sports teams. The school district opted to try streaming live video of certain games after a successful year of streaming audio. Their research helped them decide on NewTek TriCaster™―a complete, multi-camera video production and streaming system.

Just four days after the TriCaster system arrived, Vallance and the student volunteers went live and streamed the graduation ceremony. TriCaster proved its worth in helping to generate revenue for additional production gear, through DVD sales of the graduation.

Vallance states, “We’re a small school and the community has really enjoyed it. Alumni tune in and give us positive feedback, and we also hear a lot from our military family from around the world.”

NewTek’s innovative live production tools gave the district the leverage they needed to produce a new caliber of live programming. The LiveSet™ technology used with TriCaster, offered the Valley speech class the ability to produce school newscasts using live virtual sets, just like a lot of TV networks.

“Our productions really took off,” says Vallance, “once we began using NewTek’s TimeWarp™ for replays. Now, we have other schools in our area coming out to see how we’re using TriCaster and the accessories to produce and stream these games.”

Initially, Vallance was concerned that live streaming would result in lower game attendance, but that hasn’t been the case at all. Instead, he says their live productions have managed to keep the community more closely connected, regardless of how far they move from this little southern Ohio town.

Vallance said, “After the district made the initial TriCaster purchase, DVD sales have sustained our growth from then on.”