The small room at Stone Academy bustles with video cameras, TV monitors and youthful energy on this chilly morning. It's almost time for the morning news show, and young anchors are busy with last-minute preparation.

"We go on live in five, four, three, two," a student counts down, holding up a finger when it's show time.

The two-camera show moves from the anchors seated at a traditional news desk talking about school testing and lunch menus, to another student standing in front of a brightly painted cabinet sharing the weather forecast.

It's a common scene in elementary schools around Greenville County every day that school is in session: News broadcasts targeted to a very specific demographic. The shows, usually broadcast in the early moments of the day, are brief and to the point, taking cues from the news-you-can-use concept.

In addition to letting kids know what's for lunch, there are book reports, classroom news, student birthdays and interesting facts, all in the span of five or six minutes.

Stone Academy began its program, called Jumpstart, in 1996, one of the county's first. A $10,000 grant provided start-up money, and in 2001, WYFF-TV donated an old anchor desk and backdrop, said Ed Holliday, Stone Academy principal.

The programs aren't merely fun ways for students to share information with their peers; they're also teaching a wide array of skills.

"It integrates a lot of skills," Holliday said. "It integrates character, it integrates science, it integrates current events. It's communication skills. Not all of this can be measured by test scores, but it's life skills (that) will serve them well in their career. The confidence and poise they develop will help them in a job interview someday in a highly competitive situation."

Those learning situations aren't limited to elementary school programs. For Connie "Rai" Dyches, a junior at Mauldin High School, the skills she acquired in the high school's broadcasting classes are pointing the way toward her ultimate career goal: to be a sports reporter on ESPN.

One important skill was learning to condense the information to fit the time constraints of a broadcast, Dyches said.

"It's definitely a challenge, but I think it's easier because we connect with our audience because they're our peers," she said. "We know exactly how to portray it to them so they get what we're trying to say."

Augusta Circle Elementary School's program began three years ago, spurred on by parent volunteers, said Susan Craig, a Challenge teacher who helps with the production.

Three anchors and two crewmembers produce Augusta Circle's broadcast, rehearsing in the surprisingly calm moments before show time one recent morning. The script for the show is written on a dry-erase board at the back of the room and on sheets of paper the students read over a few times before they're ready for their close-up.

Student newscasters are chosen through auditions, and the cast rotates to give more kids a chance to participate.

As the students learn their way around the broadcast, the evolution of their abilities becomes obvious, Craig said.

"It's really neat to see their communication skills improve," she said. "They are much more confident in speaking in front of an audience. They really look forward to being a part of the morning news."

They can also stretch their creative wings. Some of Stone Academy's Jumpstart students write portions of the script themselves.

Holliday recalled a student a few years ago who started his own Andy Rooney-like commentary feature called "Noah's Notebook," that ran the gamut from daily observations of life to impersonations of faculty members.

"We don't put limits on them; we let them explore. ..." Holliday said.

Each month at Augusta Circle, the outgoing newscasters train the incoming ones. That adds another dimension to the learning process, Craig said.

"We have a limited amount of time -- we only have 15 or 20 minutes in the morning before the morning news begins, to practice," Craig said. "So not only are we practicing, but (the old students) are telling them what to do, and they get really excited. ... They feel a real sense of ownership."

Fifth-grader Reagan Smith, one of the anchors for March at Augusta Circle, said she enjoys being a part of the program. "I think it's cool that the whole school can see what's happening in one room."