By Casey McDonald
Once the second trimester is over, the broadcasting class comes alive once again to start the annual senior video.
The senior video is created by seniors from the broadcasting classes. It shows various sporting events, videos, and facts about what has happened during the senior class’s last year. They also film senior stills for the video, which are “five seconds of fame” for each senior. It is a very long video that the students spend countless hours taping and recording footage. In past years, the students have worked all night finishing the video just in time to show at the senior breakfast. It takes a lot of dedication, hard work, and being busy non-stop for months, but they get the job done.
Every year, the broadcasting class designs a new theme for the video each year. Seniors Derrik Lee, Deven Berger, Jordin Cook and Stephanie Gorka all said that the video theme is a secret, and nobody is allowed to know until the release of the video. But after some consideration, the seniors decided that the title was allowed to be announced to the students. Senior Sarah Gouker said that this year’s video theme is “If you only had one day to live, what would it be?”
There are many students involved with the video. “Seniors Austin Craft, Sam Compton and myself are in charge of filming plot,” Lee said. Hayden Wolf, Sean Hatfield, Jordin Cook, and Nelson Wagner along with Craft, Compton, and Lee are working on senior life, senior stills, and sports. Cook said that all seniors who have ever been in broadcasting and special senior actors are working on and are in the video.
The senior video has been a tradition for years, and every year there is something new. Lee says that his favorite video was last year’s 2010 PTV Music Awards, “because it was very well done and entertaining.” Gouker also agreed with Lee saying that her favorite video was last year’s. “It looked so professional. The details made it one I had to buy one too!” Berger also said that his favorite show was last year’s show. Gorka said that the 2008 Senior Night Live (or SNL). “It was a very clever theme!” Cook’s favorite video was the 2006 Warriors video.
Gouker said she thinks the video will give them a run for their money. “We have some great editors and videographers to make a great video!” Lee said.
The seniors have a lot of memories from past years. The videos always bring back memories for the seniors years from now. Gouker said that she remembers “being the anchor when there are fun events like me singing the national anthem, the milk chug contest, or the Easter egg competition. I’ve been working on the senior life and I have brought all the major events together where everyone is looking amazing so I hope everyone looks back and is proud of what I’ve done!”
Berger said that his favorite memory is filming the PTV intro two years ago with Declan Fox. “We got a bunch of cars and made them say PTV and filmed it from on top the band tower.” Lee says his favorite moment would have to be filming and editing the Bay Valley Foods instructional video. Gorka said that learning from upperclassmen throughout the years and helping others along the way was her favorite moment. “And of course [the video] will bring back memories. That is the purpose of the video. You remind yourself of what it was like in high school,” Gorka also added.
Gouker also said that she will miss all the people in broadcasting because they are “so much fun!” And that there is never a boring day. The theme for the videos is different every year, and they have been doing the senior videos for years. Gouker hopes that the tradition lives on forever for future classes to enjoy.