EVERGREEN, Colo. — Evergreen’s “ETV” broadcasting class is helping build a strong foundation for students looking to pursue a career in journalism.
“When I was about 12 years old, my parents sent me to a sports broadcasting camp,” said Russell Taber, a now 17-year-old senior at Evergreen High School. “That really got me going and really found my love for sports and sports journalism.”
Taber is a member of Evergreen’s broadcast journalism class, often referred to by the moniker they use when publishing their broadcasts, ETV.
“I really can’t even put into words how much this class has meant to me,” said Jameson Davis, another Evergreen senior in the class. “This is really one of the only classes that gets me into the building. This is why I come to school.”
ETV publishes one episode every week that features anything from morning announcements to highlights from the school’s various sports teams.
“We put out an episode every week with a lot of different segments,” Taber said. “Everyone can get involved in the class.”
However, not everyone is a child prodigy or brimming with enthusiasm for journalism.
“I didn’t really know all about broadcasting until I got into this class,” Davis said. “I didn’t know it was going to be this complex.”
This is a big operation — a crash course in all the joys of journalism.
“There are a lot of deadlines,” said Luke Alby, another senior. “When I’m making videos for myself, I can post them on Instagram whenever [I want to post them]. In this class, it’s like I have to do it by a certain day.”
“We’re producing 14 [or] 15-minute episodes every week,” Taber said. “In TV time, we’ve realized that a minute is forever.”
Hal Farmwald teaches the class, but the students do all the heavy lifting on their own. Camera work, video editing, writing, story idea generating and on-air presenting all comes down to the students.
“When you start out on camera you talk so quickly,” Davis said. “You’ve got to almost talk a little slower than you would usually talk.”
More importantly, they’re doing good work to represent the underrepresented at Evergreen.
“We really can give a bunch of people credit for the cool things they’re doing at our school,” Alby said. “There are programs that don’t really get the attention they deserve, and I’m glad that [everyone at ETV] can give them the light they need.”
“It’s actually something that’s made the school a better place,” Davis added. “Because we’re one of the few schools in Colorado or America that actually have [the sort of TV program we have].”
This is not simply a class for school credit, it’s building the foundation for a future career in journalism — helping them get ahead in life and making a difference. All while battling “senioritis.”
“I’m so proud,” Davis said. “It’s amazing. I think everyone in this class [feels] lucky that we have an opportunity like this.”
“Friends will come up to you like, ‘Ahh, I saw you on ETV,’” Alby added. “It’s cool that we’re able to do that for everyone and make their day.”