This week, Upper School boys perused more than 50 extracurricular options at the annual Club Fair. Gilman offers quite a range -- from the BBQ Club to the Wilderness Club, the Military Club to Mobile App Development -- there is truly something for everyone. Here, Head of Upper School Rob Heubeck spotlights Greyhound TV, which gives boys hands-on experience with broadcasting and helps connect the Gilman community near and far.

By Rob Heubeck, Head of Upper School

[caption id="attachment_555" align="alignleft" width="341"] Upper School students perused dozens of extracurricular offerings at this week's Club Fair. Photo by Cynosure staff.[/caption]

One of the best things about being Upper School Head at Gilman is realizing all the terrific things our students are doing outside of the classroom. It’s amazing that our boys can balance a rigorous academic schedule and demanding athletics and then find time to write for The Gilman News, create literature for Paragon, act in theatrical productions, and compete in Mock Trial, and It’s Academic. Even more amazing is that some boys do ALL of these things in the course of a year.

As I thought about a theme for a blog post, I was reminded of these extracurriculars and the importance they play in the lives of the Gilman boys. Therefore, my blogging this year will focus on profiling one of the many extracurriculars that attracts our boys to interests outside the classroom.

One of Gilman’s more recent additions to the extracurricular roster is Greyhound TV. Led by Gilman’s Coordinator of Web Resources, Mr. Cesare Ciccanti, Greyhound TV is comprised of boys that are devoted to the art of broadcast media. Whether it’s covering a sporting event or graduation, the members of Greyhound TV spend hours and hours creating broadcasts that are streamed on the internet and posted to Gilman's YouTube Channel.

A brief history: In 2003, Gilman alumni Scott Kidder '03 and Brett Hollander '03 had a vision for broadcasting Gilman events on the radio. Their partnership and teamwork brought live audio broadcasts of Gilman sporting events to the Gilman community through a new medium: Internet radio, a concept that was groundbreaking for the time. Scott and Brett left a legacy and model for future Gilman students to build upon; one that has manifested itself in Greyhound TV.

In 2010, Mr. Ciccanti streamed a few select live games with an Apple Macbook Pro and a Sony Handycam.  His efforts brought an interest to students, parents and alumni. Two freshmen at the time,  Zachary Pollack '15 and Philip Thomsen '15, approached Mr. Ciccanti about forming a club that would introduce interested students to different facets of broadcasting. After a few meetings and the securing of funding, Greyhound TV was formed. Three years after the initial collaboration between Zach, Philip, and Mr. Ciccanti, Greyhound TV now has ten members who film, edit, comment, engineer, and direct live Gilman events.

[caption id="attachment_557" align="aligncenter" width="325"] The Greyhound TV crew in action at the Gilman Football game against Paramus Catholic at Towson University. Photo by Cynosure staff.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_554" align="aligncenter" width="326"] The 2014 Greyhound TV Crew, photograph by Cynosure staff.[/caption]

As Greyhound TV evolves, its main goals are to provide Gilman boys with invaluable hands-on experience in the area of broadcast media and give the Gilman community the ability to watch important events live through the Internet.

So, whether you are in Baltimore or across the globe, you can follow your favorite Gilman teams on Greyhound TV. Go Hounds.