by Jeff Achen
Thisweek Newspapers

Eastview High School’s broadcast journalism and multimedia classes have been growing since the school opened in 1997 and the five Emmys awarded to three of its students Friday, May 12 are only the latest indicators of that growth.

Broadcast journalism teacher Tyler Krebs said as the program has established itself, he’s had more time and energy to devote to getting his students entered in contests.

“We try to be as much student driven as we can. So anytime our students can be recognized for the things they do, we’re very excited about that,” Krebs said.

Two years ago, Krebs entered Eastview’s weekly news magazine show, the Flash, in the Emmy contest for which they won honorable mention. Last year they entered a video in every category winning two Emmys for best writing and best technical direction.

This year, Krebs helped his students enter two videos for each of the seven categories.

In contrast to previous years, this year’s Emmy award recognition goes to individual students, not the show as a whole. Quite an accomplishment, especially considering one of the students, senior McKenna Ewen, took home three Emmys for best arts and entertainment story, best television news story, and an Emmy for his screenplay in the writing category.

Junior Kelsey Eliason took home an Emmy for best public service announcement and senior Ryan Mundahl took home an Emmy for best sports story.

Strong program

Junior Kelsey Eliason describes herself as an eclectic student with many interests. Winning an Emmy was a surprise to her as she neither knew her video had been entered, nor had a significant background in multimedia.

Eliason said she took her first multimedia class in September 2005, and hasn’t taken any journalism classes. Her only experience was with Photoshop.

To win her Emmy, she produced a less than 60 seconds public service announcement using images, music and facts on religious tolerance. The Emmy recognition, she says, has got her thinking outside the box.

“If I were to go into medicine I could bring something different to it, the creative aspect I guess. This year I’ve become a lot more interested in graphic design and it’s changes my perspective,” she said. “It kind of makes me wonder a little bit more about what I could do in [the multimedia] field.”

Ryan Mundahl has already been thinking about a career in broadcasting and multimedia. Ever since his older brother, Josh, went through the Eastview broadcasting program, Mundahl has taken an interest in the field.

Using a video editing system his brother bought, he does a lot of video freelancing for high school athletic teams, including his Emmy winning piece on the Eastview girls’ soccer team.

He had been nominated for a college level Emmy as an assistant producer for a story his brother worked on, but this is his first Emmy.

Although he’s beaten his brother to an Emmy, Mundahl credits the program for his success.

“A lot of programs are not as fortunate to have the equipment and the teachers we have here at Eastview,” he said.

Mundahl hopes to attend the University of Minnesota for a focus in video and broadcast production. Someday, he says, it’s his dream to open a local video production company with his brother and produce videos around the community.

His teachers believe the recognition he and his classmates are getting will help them achieve those dreams.

“It’s a confidence builder for them and having positive experiences in this area will benefit them down the road,” Krebs said.

Winning on the national level would be an even greater confidence builder and could happen for any of these three students.

McKenna Ewen’s odds are better since he captured Emmys in three categories.

He has also discovered a passion for broadcasting. Ewen said he used to watch the Eastview television programs for three years before he finally got his chance to join the production staff as part of the multimedia classes as a sophomore.

Now he’s hoping to turn his passion into a career.

He intends to go to the University of Minnesota’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Although he said he’d love to write screenplays, he thinks a career in broadcast journalism might be more practical. He’s already the school newspaper managing editor and the school’s literary magazine editor.

“I like the writing, but I see more success in the broadcast side of things,” Ewen said.

Like Mundahl, Ewen gives credit for his success to the strength of the program.

“If I weren’t in this environment in Eastview, I wouldn’t see myself having the same opportunities or being in the same situation,” he said.

He’s also reluctant to take full credit for the success of his news and entertainment stories. He said his story about the school’s “Steppers” dance team was compelling in and of itself.

“I think part of it was the way in which I showed them, but that group is a compelling story. I think that’s what people are drawn too,” Ewen said. “In school you see so many people following, but this group is an example of a group that broke away from the norm.”

As long as these students continue to find the compelling stories and harness their creativity through the school’s multimedia and broadcast classes, they too may break away from the norm.

“Nobody from our region has ever won a national [Emmy], but we’re hoping eventually we can get to that point,” Krebs said.

Jeff Achen can be reached at av.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.