Irish Sevilla / Junior Journo
FOR most Grade 4 students, a Saturday morning might mean cartoons or games. It could also be extra time with family.
For Arya Maerys M. Ocat, Myles Cielo E. Filoteo, Brianna Louiese C. Ada and Kaycee Kelen G. Villamor, it meant stepping in front of cameras, learning about microphones and discovering what it takes to tell a story on television.
The four students from Talisay City Central Elementary School joined SunStar Cebu’s Junior Journo TV Broadcasting Workshop on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, at the SM Seaside City Cebu’s Cube Wing Basement, accompanied by their parents.
The workshop was designed to introduce young participants to the different aspects of television broadcasting, from writing scripts, using equipment to developing stories and communicating them effectively.
But their presence also offered a glimpse of something bigger: an early curiosity about journalism among students who have yet to enter high school.
For Filoteo, joining the workshop was a chance to understand what happens behind the television screen.
“I chose TV Production because I am interested in how television shows, videos, and programs are made,” said Filoteo, a Grade 4 student.
Her curiosity goes beyond simply learning how to operate a camera or microphone.
She wants to understand how stories are created, how people work together to produce a program and how she can use television to express her ideas. She also sees the workshop as an opportunity to develop skills that could help her
beyond broadcasting.
Filoteo said she hopes TV Production will allow her to become more creative and improve her communication skills while helping her discover talents she may not yet know she has.
“I am happy and I hope to become better and more confident through TV Production.”
That enthusiasm was evident in the participation of the four young students, who spent the workshop learning about the different elements of television production alongside other aspiring young journalists.
For them, the experience was not simply about learning how a television program is made. It was also an introduction to journalism as a way of observing, creating and communicating.
The Junior Journo Workshops primarily cater to high school students preparing for college programs and exploring journalism-related fields.
But their younger participants are a welcome surprise. For workshop speaker Mildred Galarpe, the enthusiasm shown by elementary students was encouraging.
Seeing students as young as Grade 4 take an interest in journalism suggests that curiosity about storytelling does not necessarily begin in high school or college. Sometimes, it starts much earlier—with a child wondering how the stories on a screen came to life.
And for these young participants, Saturday’s workshop may have been only a first step.
They arrived as students curious about television. They left with cameras, microphones and stories no longer looking quite as mysterious—and perhaps with a new idea of what they might one day become.