At Centennial High School in Roswell, Georgia, one classroom stands out from the rest—and it sounds more like a TV studio than a typical school setting. Inside, students are the directors, producers, and on-air talent, all thanks to the vision and support of film teacher Chris Buechner.
Buechner’s path to teaching wasn’t conventional. For over 20 years, he worked in his family’s furniture business before deciding to pursue his undergraduate degree and a master’s in teaching. “To be here, I never could envision any of this,” Buechner says. “If I was a teacher, I thought ‘oh four walls, desks, paper and pencil…but not this.'”
When Buechner arrived at Centennial, the film program was struggling. There had been five teachers in three years, outdated equipment, and little direction. “It was a little sketchy,” Buechner recalls. He set out to build something students would be excited to join…