The daily video morning announcements consist of senior-led groups who work to entertain HHS students by sharing school wide news. Currently, there are four different morning announcements groups, each with their own unique segments and intro videos. Each one is assigned a designated day for their announcements to be broadcasted, ranging from Tuesday to Friday. Within each group are specific roles such as anchors, teleprompters, camera directors and editors.
The Tuesday morning announcements group is made up of Ella Choi, Sunita Bhatia, Alicia Hoppes, Katie Bielecki, Reece Bacak, Charlie Ross and Lindsay Peterson. Bhatia, a founder and producer of the group, decided to join the announcements due to her interest in video production and overall intrigue in the program. She explains, “I was always fond of watching the seniors on the morning announcements when I was an underclassman, so I knew as a freshman that I eventually wanted to do it. I also enjoy video editing, so the morning announcements are a great outlet for that creativity.”
Choi, the editor of the Tuesday announcements, was convinced by Bhatia to join the group. “Sunita asked me to do the announcements with her, and at first I didn’t want to because I didn’t want to go in front of the whole school, but I decided to say ‘yes’ because it’s senior year!” she recalled. Through the morning announcements, Choi and her friends have found a passion for creating fun and entertaining videos every week.
Matthew Banko has had a similar experience with the Friday morning announcements group, which also includes Scott Bayliss, Landon Speicher, Jers Plunkett, Rosteen Kheder, Chase Dewitt, Kai Kurokawa, Jason Dement and Brogen Kapela. Banko’s reasoning for joining the announcements differs from Bhatia and Choi, yet he found a similar interest in creating weekly videos. Banko stated, “I decided to do the morning announcements because I thought it would be funny.” Further, he hoped to have a “fun and meaningful experience” with the announcements.
Banko has accomplished his original goal of having fun through his group’s weekly intros. The Friday group works hard to produce a new intro every week. “Most of the intros we come up with are simply spur of the moment, although a common theme between all of them that we’ve worked with so far is that they are all similar to the ‘mannequin challenge.’ Past that, it usually ends up being a random stroke of inspiration from anyone on the team to shape that intro each week,” he explained. Overall, Banko has enjoyed being able to work on the morning announcements and putting in extra effort to create exciting intros.
Mr. Ondash, advisor of the morning announcements, helps students with the basics of how to be successful with their videos. Students are then able to experiment with editing software and various ideas to enhance their weekly announcements.
Though it takes time to create a new video each week, students are able to divide up responsibilities so that there is more enjoyment than pressure involved. The time commitment of each student varies by role. For instance, Choi, an editor, spends roughly two hours per week editing and filming for he announcements. Bhatia, on the other hand, spends about an hour per week fulfilling her responsibilities. Banko shares that his group spends multiple hours per week on their unique weekly intros and overall filming.
The students involved in the announcements believe that it is a worthwhile activity to do during senior year. Announcers are able to be creative, bond with their friends and get comfortable being in front of a camera. According to Bhatia, it is “a great opportunity to spend time with your friends every week. Senior year gets really busy, so it can be difficult planning time to spend with your friends outside of school.”
Banko agrees, calling the announcements “an enjoyable and rewarding endeavor” and “a whole lot of fun.” The announcements are a unique part of senior year that allows students to come together with their friends and create something special for their school.
Overall, a lot of work goes into making the morning announcements, yet it is worth it in the end for the students involved and for the students watching. Each group is able to display their creativity in their own way while having fun with their friends. Bhatia, Choi and Banko demonstrate three examples of students who enjoy being involved in the announcements, among the four groups of seniors who participate. All three students agree that the announcements have given them a new outlet to express themselves and further enjoy their senior year.
