A West Jefferson High School student with Down Syndrome anchors school newscast

A West Jefferson High School student has become the star of the school’s news broadcast. Junior Wylee Morton has Down Syndrome, and his classmates created an entire newscast called “Wylee’s Corner” featuring Wylee as the prime-time anchor.

“Yeah, I feel happy and proud,” said Morton.

“I couldn’t be more proud of them. A lot of it is pretty much just the students. I just give them the script, and they kind of take off and do what they do,” said Shadrack Gore, Morton’s history teacher.

“Wylee’s Corner” is completely student-run and started production two weeks ago. Wylee and his classmates work every week to put out a new show. They come up with student guests and talk about school news and current events. The students involved couldn’t be prouder of Wylee and said they love working with him.

“I feel awesome — I feel privileged to be able to work with Wylee. He’s so cool, like, I’ve learned so many lessons of communicating with him — how to really work with him in an awesome way. And I really feel like it’s really broadened my perspective about this entire thing,” said Sam Rodriguez, the lead director and editor of “Wylee’s Corner.” “We thought this little tiny thing was gonna be it. But then it blew up into this amazing, awesome (newscast) that it is right now.”

The video of Wylee’s first TV debut got more than 5,000 views in less than 24 hours.

Wylee’s teachers thought of ways to help him practice his language and verbal skills. His history teacher then posed this idea as a project to help Wylee get more involved.

“Wylee’s personality is just to be really boisterous and fun and everybody’s always loved him. But I think it’s just another way for the student body — and it really shows how much the student body loves him, and how much he loves the student body,” said Gore.

“He’s fun, he’s good. He’s always really excited to be here and interview everybody,” said friend and newscast guest Bridger Burtenshaw.

“I think it’s really good, ’cause Wylee’s really — I think — really important to this school. He brings smiles to everybody’s faces. He helps everybody,” said friend and newscast guest Tristen Wright.

“Wylee’s Corner” will air every Friday at West Jefferson High School to the student body. The school is working on finding a way to put the videos up on its website.