When Penn-Trafford High School’s video production class hosted its first telethon benefiting Make-A-Wish in 2017, the live production was 3 1⁄2 hours long.

With about five hours of content planned for Thursday’s broadcast, the students and their teacher, Steve Vinton, have to piece together each minute.

“We’re getting to the point where we have to think about what we’re not going to include, and that’s a tough decision,” Vinton said. “We don’t want to not include somebody.”

Since the telethon’s inception, the district’s five elementary schools, two middle schools and various high school clubs have gotten more involved, hosting regular fundraisers and spreading awareness for the video production class’s effort.

In total, the telethon has raised more than $370,000 for Make-A-Wish children in Western Pennsylvania. This year, the goal is around $55,000, Vinton said. The broadcast will include creative videos, news packages, studio guests, live performances and pre-recorded segments, including a piece from WTAE-TV’s Mike Clark.

The telethon may need to start a half an hour early next year to account for the district and community’s increased interest in contributing content, Vinton said.

And more high school students are realizing the significance of the telethon’s donation, said senior producer Amanda Bobish.

“I think more people are realizing that it happens,” Bobish said. “I feel like you hear about the telethon because you watch it during the day before break or whatever, but most people are checked out by that point. You don’t realize that it’s a big thing raising a lot of money.”

Showcasing the efforts of the elementary and middle schools is fun for senior producer Conner Alexander.

“They put so much work into these events, so when they finally get that air time that’s contributing and showing the hard work they did, it’s a successful feeling,” Alexander said.

Although the production looks seamless to viewers, the control room is bustling with activity during the telethon. Students greet performers from the elementary and middle schools and shuffle them onto the auditorium stage. Hosts improvise banter if a segment takes less time than expected, and producers shorten elements if a segment runs long.

“It’s a madhouse in here,” Vinton said.

Technical issues or a school cancellation on the day of the telethon could throw the production off track at any moment, Vinton said. Amid the stress, the students remind themselves of the impact their work will have on nearby families, said senior producer Sophia Laspina.

“It’s not just a class thing,” she said.

The months of filming, editing and script writing is worth it when the students see the fundraising total, said senior producer Morgan Arlia.

“We actually get to process what we all have collectively done,” Arlia said. “That’s always the best part.”

Make-A-Wish sends the students a package with photos and descriptions of the children their donations granted wishes for. For Bobish, this is the best part of the telethon.

“For months leading up to (the telethon), you’re working so hard and you kind of lose what it is,” she said. “But then after that’s over and you see that number at the end and it’s still getting bigger because people are donating online, it’s like ‘Wow, we’re actually having an impact.’ We’re granting wishes for local kids, and it’s a really good feeling to be able to do that.”

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