Dunwoody High Students Head to LA for American Idol

Dunwoody High School students are feeling some California love.

Jack Reynold’s Academy of Mass Communication class will be heading to Los Angeles Sunday to get a close up look at working in Hollywood, and they’ll get to see a Wildcat alumni at work – Ryan Seacrest will host the students at a rehearsal of American Idol Wednesday and they’ll also see him at work at E! News.

“Everyone is getting so excited,” said Emma Orlin, 18, a senior.

There are some surprises in store for the class, Orlin said, but she said chaperones are keeping some of those close to the chest.

The group will also be seeing a movie premiere Monday night, seeing a talk show and how they set up, and, hopefully, get a glimpse at the editing process for a television show or two.

Orlin’s uncle, who works in Los Angeles, also helped to set up some of the events for the group.

The students have known since the beginning of the semester that the trip was on tap, but have kept relatively quiet about it. But as the date has neared, it’s been hard to keep under wraps.

“A bunch of people have been asking us about it,” she said.

Other chaperones include Assistant Principal Tom McFerrin and Art Teacher Catherine Preston. McFerrin, the former Mass Comm teacher, is a friend of Seacrest’s and helped to set up the meetings with Seacrest along with Seacrest’s parents, who still live in the Dunwoody area.

Seacrest has a strong connection to the high school students, as they do radio shows from the Egleston Children’s Hospital. Seacrest donated the state of the art radio studio at the hospital, where high school students host a weekly show called “The Voice.”

“He’s one of our key supporters and his mom is too,” said Reynolds.

The trip will last until next Thursday. About 25 students, along with the three chaperones will be going, Reynolds said. Students are paying for the flight, rooms and transportation. Two years ago, Reynolds said a Mass Comm class went to Los Angeles on a similar trip.

The excitement for the class has been palpable as they finish up their work before heading out.

“We’re still doing newscast that we send out to our school,” Orlin said. “But it’s hard to concentrate with this trip coming up.”

They’ll bring along cameras and hopefully learn a lot about how television shows are made and edited, Reynolds said.

 “We’re excited about the trip and really looking forward to it,” he said.