On March 2, 2024, the Riverside Brookfield High School television arts program won the 10th annual Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Student Section and Spirit Showdown hosted at Illinois State University. The students’ hard work and dedication shone through in their video showcasing RB pride.
The IHSA describes the Student Section and Spirit Showdown as an opportunity for “school communities to showcase their student sections, school spirit, and community service,” RB Principal Dr. Héctor Freytas brought up the idea to RBTV. Senior Jennifer Thomas, a core member of the RBTV team, knew it was an opportunity they could not pass on.
“It was a really big time crunch because Dr. Freytas had brought it up to us, but we had a bunch of other things that we wanted to do, like Bulldog Weekly,” Thomas said. “We had it in the back of our minds, and it was about a week ‘til the deadline, and he [Freytas] brought it up again, and I was like ‘Alright, let’s not just forget about this. Dr. Freytas really wants us to do it, so let’s do it.’”
With most previous submissions from other schools being of the same general framework, Thomas knew they would have to come up with something that would set them apart from the crowd.
“I knew I had a bunch of videos because I have a hard drive, and I had a bunch of videos of stuff that I shot, so I was like ‘Okay, I’ll go through and look through some things to start putting stuff together,’” Thomas said. “But I was like ‘What can we do to make ourselves look different from the other schools?’ because all the past entries that I looked at were just compilations of different sporting events and stuff, which is cool, but I knew we needed to do something [new]. There was actually something on the flier. It said ‘What makes your school stand out?’ And I was like ‘Well we need to do something different.’”
With this in mind, Thomas devised the video layout that would soon lead to their victory. The RBTV team—working quickly and arduously—produced, edited, and finalized their video within just a few days.
“I went to Mr. Holdren, and I was like ‘What if we did it in a short film narrative kind of way?’” Thomas said. “We incorporated all those little video clips that we have along with a story to convey what we’re watching. I came up with the idea myself, and I was like, ‘What if Makayla is looking for something through the files. She’s looking for some sort of spirit, and, while all the other students are giving her ideas on where to look, in the end, when she looks through all these files, she realizes that it’s in the memories that we all made?’ We shot the entire thing in one class period, which was very stressful, but we got it done. Within about two days, I edited it and gave it to Mr. Holdren, and he thought it looked great.”
Head of RBTV Matthew Holdren recognizes the unorthodox workflow a project of this size presents, giving the students a glimpse into how things work in the real world.
“It was a long project, so I think they benefited in the fact that we had to think about this in August, capture footage throughout the semester, and then, finally, come out with the final product,” Holdren said. “I think that workflow is pretty unique, especially at the high school level, of taking an entire semester, in addition to working on other things, to create one project and then seeing it through. And then the creativity of it. I think Jenny killed it with the little narrative part of it. That was something she came up with, and I really think that set it apart for sure.”
They were crowned champions during the halftime of the IHSA Girls Basketball State Finals. Although the win was an adrenaline rush, the moments leading up to it were nerve wracking.
“Being there, I know I was extremely nervous. I was shaking,” Thomas said. “When we were on the court, we were all holding hands, and, afterwards, Makayla was like ‘I could feel you were shaking the whole time,’ and I was like ‘Yeah, I was freaked out. I was so nervous,’ but part of me, inside, I had this feeling where I was like ‘We got this in the bag.’ I knew our video was good enough to win, and it did.”
Holdren is extremely proud of the tremendous work and dedication his students have put into this project. Within his first year at RB, he is already forming deep connections with those in the program.
“It means a lot,” Holdren said. “It’s a special thing for me to come here and, in my first few months, be blessed with students who work hard like that and care. There’s a few students in this class that I’ve never had students as dedicated and talented as. They’re seniors, and so I’m scared for next year. I’m going to miss them, but it’s just been a blessing to be able to have them in my life as an educator because they single handedly have changed the program around.”
Freshman Madison Lannon is also grateful to see her work get recognized in a competitive setting. With hopes to continue her television arts career after high school, she appreciates opportunities to advance her skills.
“It’s pretty cool because I really want to do this when I’m older, and winning state already is super cool,” Lannon said. “I got to record some of the stuff, so seeing my work being put into something like this is the coolest thing.”
Not only did the competition give the students a profound sense of accomplishment, but it brought them closer together as a team and allowed them to strengthen their friendships. In a sense, that was the true reward of the entire undertaking.
“I think the biggest thing that came out of it was the group of people that we were with [becoming closer],” Thomas said. “We formed this little group together, and after we got home, we were like ‘Let’s go out to eat somewhere nice,’ and then we all hung out. We were laughing and just having fun, and I think that was probably the best thing that came out of it, the sense of family I got out of that. Spending time with the people that I have a lot of fun with was great.”
Additionally, it provided the students with a sense of self accomplishment and showed them that with perseverance and tenacity, anything is possible.
“It gave me more confidence because even though I didn’t edit the video, I still took some shots, so I was like ‘if I can do this, who knows what else I can do?’” Lannon said.
Holdren hopes to expand the variety of events shown in the video next year. With only so many things going on during the fall, spring events such as the musical and spring sports will bring their video submission to the next level.
“I think if we do it again next year, and we probably will, I want to capture more of the things that happen in the spring at the school,” Holdren said. “Really what we showed in this video was what happens in the fall, and so if we can incorporate a lot of that school spirit that happens in the spring, I think we’ll do even better next year.”
As for the future of RBTV, Holdren hopes to one day bring it into the national spotlight. With its ever-expanding coverage of RB happenings and technological advancements, stardom is in the works for this award-winning television arts class.
“For me, I’m a competitor. I’m a sports guy, and I want to have the best program in the country,” Holdren said. “It’s a lofty goal, but it’s something that I work tirelessly for, and I think we’re on our way there. We have our MMEA projects’ dates coming up here. I think we’re going to kill it, and I think people are going to see. It’s hard work to get people involved and care and dedicated, but once we start putting out people who are in the professional field, I think everyone will see that this is where you go to become a professional. It’s my goal, I want to be the best in the country. Not Illinois, not the Chicagoland area. I want to be the best in the country.”
