The small, dark room is a chatterbox of voices as students talk in animated tones about what’s in front of them.

Conversations fade away gradually, followed by a command in an authoritative voice: “Quiet on the set.”

Two freshmen students shift nervously in chairs behind an anchor desk. One of them begins: “Today, we welcome our Freshman Connection students …”

And another newscast begins in the Media Technology department at Duncanville High School.

Today, older Duncanville students who have developed an affinity for television journalism are teaching freshmen about the field as part of a program at the school in which first-years must sample a range of career choices in several fields, and Media Technology is one of the most popular.

Students put together newscasts and their own talk shows on a set that includes an anchor desk and a nearby couch and chairs for the talk show. A control room where student directors monitor the productions is adjacent to the set, along with an audio room.

“It’s always fun to see new students come through here,” Media Technology teacher Nancy Noyes said. “And it’s fun for my students to teach these kids.”

At a school where state championships in football, basketball and baseball are expected, no department has brought home more state titles than Noyes’ Media Technology group.

“Nancy has one of those classes that – after hours or after school – always has someone there knocking on the door trying to get some extra work done,” said Duncanville spokeswoman Tammy Kuykendall.

Student broadcasts are distributed on the school district’s Web site, You Tube and other Internet outlets, as well as Channel 27, the district’s public access channel.

The students tackle every aspect of broadcast television and are on hand to film special events at the school such as plays, football games and concerts.

Many students join the department after paying a visit as part of Freshman Connections.

“The best experience they get is for college prep,” said Freshman Connections coordinator Lesley Hash, who brought the program with her when she moved from Arlington Lamar High School to Duncanville High School.

The freshmen spend almost a month immersing themselves in different course areas, Hash said, including fine arts, choir, yearbook and journalism, among other things.

Today, junior Nick Manley and seniors Michael Johnson and James Johnson are behind the boards in the control room, showing freshmen what they do every day.

“I don’t know it all, but learning how to operate the cameras took about a day,” Manley said. “But as I teach the freshmen, I learn more and more myself.”

Directors in the control room relay commands to the floor director, who then passes them on to the people on the set.

Some freshmen read their lines nervously when they sit behind the anchor desk and try to read off a Teleprompter. Others nail the script the first time. At least one recent Media Technology student was hired by a television station straight out of high school, Noyes said.

The talk show unit is run by a core group of four students who pick a topic, research it, select guests and learn how to cold-call them for bookings.

One of the most successful talk-show ventures was the brainchild of former Duncanville student Levester Hughes, who is now studying broadcasting in journalism.

Hughes wanted to do a talk show called "Cowboys Talk with Levester," in which he would interview members of the Dallas Cowboys. Despite hearing how it would be impossible to pull off, Hughes found out where a few players went to church, so he started going there.

The pastor became a big fan of Hughes and introduced him to some of the players, and they gladly cooperated, Noyes said.

Hughes then hosted shows that featured Marcus Spears, DeMarcus Ware and former Cowboys player Kevin Burnett.

“This just gives them a head start on the technology and how to prosper in a career,” Noyes said.