ROCKLIN, Calif. — A group of students at Whitney High School in Rocklin are being recognized for earning top honors at a national convention, doing that they love — producing TV news.
Sixty-eight broadcast students traveled to Seattle last month to compete in the Student Television Network Annual Convention. The group won best student taped daily show in the nation. The group competed against more than 3,200 students from all over the world.
The award-winning “Unleashed,” was evaluated on their stories, the segues, graphics, anchors, reporters and the graphics. The group of student journalists had been preparing for the competition since January and say the moment they were announced as winners was incredible.
“That was kind of like a blackout moment when they announced it, Like I don’t remember what I was feeling,” said Whitney High School senior Bethany Oh.
The convention hosted over 3,200 students from all over the world, including a group of students from Russia. It was the fifth time in seven years the program won the award.
“I did not expect that at all, I mean I was proud of what we turned in, but I didn’t think in a million ears to win first place,” said Whitney High School senior Sarah Nevins.
Students also created an “Unleashed” show in Seattle on March 28 for the Crazy 8 contest. They were given a prompt at 8:00 a.m. and had to turn in an eight-minute long show, by the 4:00 p.m. deadline. The show also earned first place honors in the most competitive category — Broadcast Morning Show.
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Although winning the awards was an amazing culmination to their hard work, students say there’s more to be thankful for than just winning the competition.
According to Nevins, the program has allowed her to take a step out of her comfort zone, “I still just love what it has taught me with leadership skills and just helping other people out and especially with time management too,” she explained.
Most of the students are graduating soon and will be on their way to top universities. Some are taking the TV-news career path, graphic design, film, and others are doing something unrelated to broadcast. For Oh, the program has helped her overcome her shyness.
“I have gained a lot of confidence with learning how to lead a class and taking charge of different things and becoming my own person,” she said. It has also helped her decide her career path. She has decided to attend University California Santa Barbara and become a film major.
For many, however, the program teaches them more than just TV production. Oh says what culminates everything overall is love, “we all love each other and we are all family and that’s why I fell in love with the program,” she explained.
In addition to the group awards, four students won second place in the nation for their weather segment.
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