by Elizabeth Rodeno
Congratulations to the ECTV Crew from El Camino High School and their mentor/guru Phil Taggart and Assistant Manny Reynoso, whose program ECTV has won a national award for Best Informational Talk Show Series in the Student Category at the Alliance for Community Media National Conference. The award will be presented at the ACM conference in Boston in August.
The ECTV students, Sumaya, Ethan, Grace, Zayan, Josh, Katerina, Gabriella, Cherika, Kianah, Jade, Fernando, Kali, Kalin and Nathan worked diligently, learning the ropes of video journalism.
Instructor Phil Taggart said ”the students are a delight to work with. Their enthusiasm, intelligence and desire makes this class what it is.” This program offers “a way to present the world, their world, and all the joy and sadness that is a part of it.” Phil is looking forward to the start of the new year when last year’s students return to share their talents with new ones.
Grace Johnson-Glick took last year’s class to gain experience and she embraced the opportunity to learn. “I got to meet a lot of like-minded people that helped me become a better filmmaker, to be honest, it helped me become a better everything-maker because of all the skills I learned.”
Ethan Messecar shares that he has always loved filmmaking but “I lacked the knowledge of how to actually make films. Now through my training I have improved on my technical know-how. Most of all, I appreciate the people I now call my friends”.
Grace’s mom says “the internship program was an eye and mind opening experience for Grace. Her participation allowed her to merge her love of storytelling and film with her abilities in organization and leadership.” The program has inspired her to continue filmmaking in college.
It is not just about the filmmaking and storytelling skills that the students acquire but, as Grace and her mom share, their organization and leadership skills are honed as well.
The program has been so successful that, with the help of a grant, El Camino and CAPS Media will again work together to share knowledge and encourage ideas to be spread through visual media. It’s really wonderful when the students work together and realize that their voices matter. The ECTV series is currently broadcast on channel 15, CAPS educational and government channel, Sunday & Saturday at 9:30AM. Sunday & Tuesdays at 6:30pm.
Go to our website for more information. We always appreciate more likes on all social media including Facebook, Twitter, and You Tube. View it all on our frequently updated website. Don’t forget the training classes and professional gear we offer. A yearly membership at CAPS is only $25. Go to www.capsmedia.org or call 658-0500 for more information.
