The Making of Eastview High School’s Television News Magazine

By Michelle Uremovich in May 2003 Edition of XY: Extreme Youth, journalism magazine for Indiana University

It’s 4th hour, right before lunch. It’s hard to keep a student’s attention before school lets out for the weekend. The teacher rubs his forehead, frustrated with his lack of control. In defeat, he turns on the TV. He looks up with amazement at his class, then the clock. At 11:05 a.m. he found silence in a flash.

The Flash is a five-minute news magazine show that runs live every Thursday from the EVHS studio at Eastview High School in Apple Valley, Minnesota. The 26 Flash student (half girls, half boys) produce, edit and anchor the show, creating a real world job setting in a high school classroom.

The city of Apple Valley is about fifteen miles south of the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Eastview is one of four high schools in the suburban area. It opened six years ago in September of 1997. The school houses about 2,000 students. Their technological advancements rival some universities. Built-in monitors and VCR’s are in every classroom, as well as high-speed Internet connections.

The program was started the first year the school was open. Current instructor Tyler Krebs was part of the founding team that also included Cliff Dodge, who now sells production equipment to schools. When the program started, Krebs knew it would be something he enjoyed. “My dad is involved in video production for a living,” he notes, “so I always had a passion for it.”
Even with such a strong program, the class doesn’t have a strict curriculum in place. “We go where our students take us,” says Krebs, who holds degrees in both English and Business/Telecommunications. “We want it to be a lot like real life. The class works together to solve problems on a weekly basis.” Program control was obvious from the beginning. Instead of a teacher running the class with lesson plans and tests, the students decide what’s important. “Every year, our students steer us in unique directions, wherever their passions are.”

Student leadership was at the top of the priority list for qualities needed in The Flash. The course’s main objective is to have students learn independently. In order to enroll in the class, students must first take two broadcasting prerequisites and go through an application process. Only half of the students who apply get accepted.

Throughout the week, the students plan and work on finishing the show. At the beginning of the week, the students brainstorm story ideas and by process of elimination, decide which ideas are strong enough to produce. The remainder of the week is devoted to individual work, allowing the students to learn through hands-on experience. All the experience pays off, but the process takes time.

The students’ education begins mostly through observation and listening. Nikki Rowley, a senior who will attend Arizona State’s journalism program next fall, is in her second year in The Flash.

Nikki became interested in the class during her freshman year. “You think it’s cool to be on TV as a freshman,” she explains. She learned it was more than that within a few days. “At first it was really hard!” she says. “It’s not like a normal class; you have to learn by yourself and from your peers.” Mr. Krebs steps away in the process often because he wants students to be proactive in their learning. Nikki says this helped her to learn all of the components necessary to produce a live show. The independent learning experience has allowed her to have more control in producing stories and live shows. “I have to have it my own way,” she declares. “I have to have my own camera shots and do my own editing.”

The independent learning, however, comes at a cost at times. “The worst feeling is Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. when it looks like the crap is going to hit the fan,” says Mike Zanatta, a 17-year-old junior and part of the Flash team. He’s referring to the crunch time of deadlines. The show airs live every Thursday at 11:05 a.m. Evan Klefsaas, an 18-year-old senior, has been in the program for two years and knows the pressure of producing a high-quality show every week. “You have to get everything done, period,” he says with determination. Mike says the biggest reason for the show’s prosperity every week is the collective effort of the class. “At first, I didn’t want to jump in and mess things up,” Mike laughs. “I just watched the seniors and got involved as soon as I could.”

Senior leadership largely contributes to the success of the class. Jake Rains, a junior, looked up to the experience of the older students as he became comfortable with the class. “I was scared,” he says. “I waited at least a month before doing anything, but Jason Cermak (a senior) was a big help. He took a lot of us under his wing and showed us what to do.”

The benefits of this kind of program are showcased through all of the recognition the show has received. In addition to appearing in magazine and newspaper articles, the Flash hosts its own film festival and has won several contests. Nikki and Evan placed first and second respectively in the MHSPA Sports Journalism Contest in January 2003. They attended a Minnesota Wild hockey practice and produced a three-minute video on the experience.

The first annual Eastview Film and Video Festival was held last May and showcased student productions from current students and alumni. It included categories such as animation and video poetry and was topped off with a full-length feature called Switch mimicking the 2000 Guy Ritchie film Snatch.

Recognition isn’t the only aspect students gain from video competitions. In an educational video contest held by Focus Enhancements, a video technology company, Eastview won $4,000 in video equipment. In 2002 they gained press credentials to videotape President Bush speaking a nearby high school. Jake appreciates the opportunity to participate and gain experience. “It’s really easy to get access to stories,” he says. “And that helps a lot.”

For The Flash students this is more than just a high school class. In addition to producing their weekly show, the students produce an annual video yearbook to raise money for new equipment. They also produce highlight videos for various sports teams. The students learn quickly that those side projects are time-intensive. Nikki produced a highlight tape for the girls’ volleyball team. “That was my hardest project,” she says, “but it was a good learning experience.” Evan, who produced tapes for the soccer and hockey teams, agrees: “They take a lot of time, much more than anyone expects.”

After high school Mike is interested in majoring in broadcast journalism. So are Jake and Nikki. Jake likes anchoring but isn’t sure about the stressful atmosphere. “I see myself not as a serious person,” he says, and thinks he might like to produce movies. Nikki will take everything she’s learned from The Flash to a future profession behind the camera.

As for Evan, he’s looking at majoring in economics or finance. “I probably won’t be using the actual broadcasting after I get out,” he says, “but the lessons I’ve learned, like meeting deadlines and working as team are lessons that I’ll be able to apply to many different aspects of whichever career I choose.”