Ready for the next step: Broadcast Student of the Year has multimedia aspirations

Zach Touger is leaving his mark on the Mountain Brook Schools. 

From his elementary years at Cherokee Bend through junior high and high school, the senior said he will be extremely well prepared for the future when he heads to college. 

Always pushing himself academically, Touger has taken mostly AP classes during high school, including five as a senior. He was picked for the top 5% of the seniors in his class (along with about 18 other students) based on his 4.52 GPA.

He said his Spanish classes have allowed him to reach the highest level in high school and receive the seal of biliteracy, and he is considered fluent by state standards. 

“In seventh grade, I randomly signed up for it,” Touger said. “Learning a second language came relatively easy for me. I guess I’m pretty lucky in that way. At the start of junior high, I found confidence in learning that I easily wanted to focus and hone my skills in it. Sophomore year, I skipped Spanish 4 and ended up going to AP Spanish language as one of two juniors who took it.” 

Touger said he would like to minor in Spanish in college to gain an advantage in journalism, whether to translate or interview people who speak the language. He has served as president of the Spanish Club and is also president of the National Honor Society. 

Besides his Spanish class, his broadcasting class has been instrumental in his decision on a career after college. 

Touger said his senior year has challenged him to think broader than just high school, picturing himself doing broadcasting somewhere else, and he said the experience has made him very grateful for his school.

“I realize how well prepared Mountain Brook has made me,” he said. “My teachers have been nothing but supportive, and I’ve had such amazing opportunities and to have them along with my friends and family. It’s been really helpful as we’re getting down to the end.”

‘The best program in the state’

After taking media arts in ninth grade, Touger did not take broadcasting his sophomore year but was placed back on the broadcast staff period in junior year due to a schedule change. It was then he realized he wanted to pursue this as a career.

He credits second-year broadcast teacher Brooke Dennis for her teaching and fostering a new culture around the class. 

“She came from Thompson High School and she took our program from almost nothing and made it into the best program in the state,” Touger said. “I don’t think we’d have a program without her.”

The class produces a live newscast every day ranging from two minutes to 15 minutes on Tuesday and Fridays. In the program, Touger has been able to produce shows along with directing and anchoring. The class of nine won 29 individual awards at a competition this year. 

Dennis described Touger as a “tremendously talented student with a passion for broadcasting/multimedia journalism” and said she had the same passion as he did when she was in high school. She said Touger has created multimedia content, written stories and helped enhance the digital brand of Mountain Brook High School and Mountain Brook Schools throughout the year. 

“It’s unique to work together because we see eye-to-eye when it comes to our interests in broadcasting,” Dennis said. “I have been able to help Zach, but what he may not realize is that he’s been able to help me. Since day one of my job here at Mountain Brook (almost two years ago), it has been my goal to increase the product of what and how we communicate as a school district to our stakeholders. He has been an essential part of that goal being successful this year, and wherever he chooses to attend college and whichever career path he chooses, I know he will be successful not only because of his work ethic but because of who he is and the way he treats people.”

MBS internship

Another way Touger has gained experience during his senior year is through  his role as an intern with Mountain Brook Schools. 

He finishes with his classes at 1:30 p.m. daily and begins his internship portion of the day, either helping Dennis in the broadcasting department or assisting William Galloway at the school system’s headquarters in a variety of duties, including making graphics for the jumbotron for sporting events, writing press releases for the school system websites, creating news packages and videoing and editing. 

“Mrs. Dennis and William Galloway at the board created a role for me to be a liaison for the communications department, and over half of my creative portfolio has come from work I’ve done during my internship,” Touger said.

This past February, Galloway attended the Alabama Scholastic Press Association Competition, where the school’s broadcast program won best in state and Touger was named the Alabama Broadcast Assocation’s Broadcast Journalist of the Year for high schools from his creative portfolio.

The next step

Touger’s twin sister will be attending Chapman University in Orange, California, where she will play Division III lacrosse. He will  be attending college about three hours away at the University of California Santa Barbara this fall and majoring in Communications. 

“Their journalism school is phenomenal, I toured it in April of last year,” he said. “Their studio is amazing and their alumni numbers are great. They also have a lot of the same live production equipment I’ve used in high school.”

Touger did apply to eight other schools and was also accepted into San Diego State University, University of California Santa Barbara, Georgetown and NYU. 

“As long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to live in a big city, and New York, D.C., and L.A. all have been super appealing for me,” Touger said. “I feel I’d like to work in a national market and work in a big city with larger media markets. Luckily, my parents are supportive of that choice.” 

He said he would also consider law school if he doesn’t pursue journalism. 

Touger said while it’s bittersweet, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t ready to graduate.

“It’s been a long time coming and I’m ready for a change,” he said. “I’m always thinking about the next step ahead. I’m ready to leave Mountain Brook and move on to somewhere different and am really excited to see what’s in store.”