Student figured out how to upgrade livestreams from high school gym

What began about a year and a half ago as a side project for high school student Spencer Petticrew would eventually evolve to become his senior project: the livestreaming video setup at Wrangell High School for events, including all sports games, musical concerts and graduation ceremony.

"Basically, if it takes place in the gym, and people want to watch it, I'm the guy that handles the livestreaming of it over platforms like YouTube," he said.

Petticrew credits the high school's former IT director Bob Russell with igniting his interest in videography during the volleyball regionals in 2022, as the student had some experience in broadcasting through a previous internship at KSTK as well as a lot of tech projects. "One day, he just asked me out of the blue, he was like, 'Hey, do you want to help me stream these volleyball games?'"

While Petticrew had no experience in video or livestreaming, he soon discovered how many people use the high school's YouTube channel to watch local sports and other events at the gym, including those who might not be able to attend in person. "A lot of people watch their grandkids play," he said. "So, there was a need. We see upwards of 100, 120 viewers at times. Even, one time I saw 150. Our platform is utilized."

However, he felt the previous setup left much to be desired. "At that time, it was an iPad and two cameras that are older than me," he said. "As you can imagine, it wasn't that good of quality."

That gave Petticrew the impetus for his senior project. He wrote a $1,000 grant proposal to the Upward Bound program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, which provided the school with a high-resolution digital camera. "That was a big upgrade," he said. "You can see even the players' numbers on the back."

As he worked with a hodgepodge of equipment, he made improvements in piecemeal fashion, progressing from a cropped webcam video feed of the scoreboard during games to the current digital scoreboard overlay, using one of two monitors that can be constantly updated and configured.

Previously, one person was needed to operate the computer while another controlled the camera. Petticrew provided a simple fix, using a stick he found outside and taping it to a boom arm, which allowed him to pan the camera back and forth while still seated at the computer. "Now, it's essentially a one-man show," he said.

The current computer used for livestreaming was donated by Kaelene Harrison, built by her daughter Kiara several years ago while still in high school through the Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program at the University of Alaska Anchorage. "That thing's kitted out. I'm talking like 64 gigabytes of RAM," he said.

Petticrew also got help from a friend and classmate. "Ander Edens, he's helped me a lot with this," he said.

He said the most fun parts of the project were learning about videography and the adrenaline rush of troubleshooting problems while shooting live events. "Previously, I didn't really know how to livestream, I didn't really know much about cameras, even, and now I'm like a huge nerd for them."

The most challenging part of the project was dealing with the trial and error of operating unfamiliar equipment or software. "Sometimes, it just wouldn't work," he said. "I would click 'stream' and it just wouldn't connect. Trying to figure that out is probably the hardest part. I don't like Google software."

Petticrew predicts the current video setup will last at least five years, but his overall goal is for other students to follow in his footsteps, those who may not be interested in athletics, and get them involved in school activities through video production.

"I want it to be like a revolving door of students who are kind of interested in live production," he said. "I want to get everyone involved, somehow, and I feel like our tech program really needs that student engagement."

After graduation, Petticrew plans to attend Boise State University to study chemistry. "I have no actual interest in pursuing a career in (video) production," he said. "I mean, it's a dream job for me, but I want to make money. ... But I feel like digital storytelling will always be a passion of mine."

He'll miss the tight-knit relationships he formed in high school. "Everyone in this building, I can walk up to them, and I know everything about them," he said. "You can just have a conversation with someone, and you just pick up where you left off."

As for what he won't miss about high school years, it's the lack of franchises and chain stores. "There's no Walmart here," he said with a smile.