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After two years of constant construction and renovation, the campus is quiet at Hillcrest.

The improvements made to the school in recent months made a huge difference in everyday life at HHS. The most notable addition was the new Science wing, which was more or less ready by the beginning of the ‘08-’09 school year. Students and teachers enjoyed the larger classrooms and lab space. The wing was the first major addition to Hillcrest since the gymnasium, known as the “HPER,” was opened in March of 1991.

The football stadium now has new bleachers, so watching the Hornets will be more comfortable than ever for home team fans and visitors.

The 51-year-old school building needed major upgrades in the office area, and that happened. The classroom that was formerly the Marketing and COE room was incorporated into the new office space. The assistant principals and secretaries all got new offices with more room and brand new furniture. Principal Jay Rush has a remodeled office, with about the same amount of space as before, in the same location.

The HTV classroom, which doubled as a studio/editing area, has been totally remodeled. There were previously seven edit bays; now there are 14. Carpeting, a light grid, and a new curtain have made life much easier for the broadcast students.

Broadcast adviser Dave Davis also has a second room, across the hall, which is used for classroom instruction. The art department has a new graphics lab, and refurbished classrooms, and a number of classes moved to rooms that were made available due to the science teachers all relocating to the new wing.

While there have been talks of Hillcrest being at the top of the list for major additions and improvements similar to what took place at Parkview in recent years, those upgrades will not happen until a new bond is passed at some point in the future.

The latest “HTV Special Assignment” takes an in-depth look at the place known as “Lost and Found,” where teens and others can receive free grief support services. It is the only such place in the southwest Missouri area.

Reporter Chelsea Peebles and photographers Lindsey Hale and Kelsi Moos worked for a month on the segment, which includes interviews of a number of teenagers who attend Lost and Found on a regular basis.

Co-founder Karen Scott said, “Our goal is not to just sit and talk about the sadness of it all. It’s to understand the experience and process that as a part of your life.”

In counseling the teens who come to Lost and Found, Scott says she has received lessons of her own. “What I learn from every teen we see is that we are stronger than we think we can be. I see people that overcome incredible, horrible experiences and find the personal strength and resilience to overcome.”

Nikkie Lapin, an HHS student, lost her mother, and Lost and Found has helped her cope. “When you’re there, it’s like a safe environment for everybody to share how they feel, and nobody’s going to be like, ‘she’s ridiculous for feeling that way.’”

Courtney Wampler, who lost her father, said, “Lost and Found has really helped me become a little more open with myself.”

One of the projects the teens are working on is a book about their experiences. They hope it will help others in similar situations. “There are hundreds and hundreds of books on death and grieving and stuff like that, but not really from a teen’s perspective, on how to deal with it when you go back to school with our friends and teacher, and how to deal with it with your parents,” said Lapin.

And Scott thinks they are the perfect “authors” for the book. “I told them you are experts in this field, in a way you probably never wanted to be, but you do have a lot to offer”

The segment runs seven minutes and can be seen on the next encore of HTV Magazine, set for December 19 at 1 p.m. on the Ozarks CW.

Broadcast I students at Hillcrest are moving from the basics to the complex.

That means the shooting skills learned during first quarter are now being used to create complete, edited productions to share with the HHS student body.

As the semester winds down, the 27 first-year students are working in pairs to produce segments for “The Friday Show” and for the Hillcrest website. Those are all being produced on campus. Adviser Dave Davis says he likes the results so far.

“I have to be honest, this class has tons of potential. I think several of them are already at a higher level than most of our beginners in the past. Their biggest test is coming up soon,” said Davis.

That “test” is the January edition of “HTV Magazine.” The class will take over for the regular HTV staff, and this will be like a tryout for next year.

“I look at how they handle the pressure of producing something that airs on the local CW, and I really look at their storytelling and if they have a passion for it,” Davis said. Sometime in March he will choose the new HTV staff and the new staff of “The Friday Show.”

“We’ll know after January whose skills will match up with which show the best,” explained the veteran adviser, who says the two advanced staffs each have around 18 members most years.

One way to ensure you make neither staff? “Miss a deadline. That’s pretty fatal,” said Davis.

What to do, and what not to do, when you are asked to pull over by a policeman. That’s the focus of the lead story on the next edition of “HTV Magazine.”

Teenagers are not known for their excellent driving habits, but as reporter Marlee McDaris found out, there are some definite do’s an don’ts when it comes to roadside etiquette.

McDaris and Springfield Police Sergeant Tom Luellen go through a number of scenarios for viewers. Some of the suggestions Luellen had, like always having your license and insurance information handy, are pretty well-known. Others were a little more enlightening.

“He said the police prefer you stay in the car. Some kids want to get out when they are pulled over, but you have to remember the officer in the patrol car has to determine who he’s dealing with,” said McDaris, who went so far as to get handcuffed as part of a demonstration of what can happen if you do not comply properly.

Luellen said, “We have to look at every situation we get into like it’s potentially dangerous to us, until we can prove it’s not.”

He also addressed the fear some female drivers in particular have about someone posing as an officer pull them over late at night. That has happened a few times in recent years near Springfield. Luellen said if you are suspicious, you should use your cell phone and call 9-1-1 to verify it is an actual law enforcement officer asking you to stop. In the meantime, you might pull into a driveway where is porch light is on.

If you avoid pulling over right away, the officer isn’t going to trust you right way, the Sergeant explained. “He may pull you out of the car, and he may put you in handcuffs, but once he determines you’re okay and not doing anything goofy, you’ll be let out pretty quick,” said Luellen.

The story also explains that asking for a warning instead of a speeding ticket never works. “We hear that all the time,” Luellen said.

There is also a demonstration of the new laser technology that allows police to clock speeders from as far away as 6,000 feet. By the time they actually pull you over, you may be driving the speed limit, but as Luellen explains, they may have caught you speeding more than a half mile back.

I don’t think that a family theater is a suitable place for what amounts to a bar,” said Springfield City Councilwoman Cindy Rushevsky.

Rushevsky is part of a task force looking into ways to prevent teens from drinking alcohol. They have targeted Campbell 16 Cine for its practice of selling beer and selected cocktails to customers. On the newest edition of “HTV Magazine,” reporter Ali Randolph and photographer Michael Freeman looked at the debate taking place over this issue.

Preventing those under 21 from exposure to alcohol while at the theater is one of the concerns. “It will be very difficult for anyone to monitor what is happening with the alcohol in the dark theater,” said Rushevsky. Chelsea Ash, a student at Monett High School, said, “I feel it’s probably not a very good influence, especially on young kids.”

But Campbell 16 says it does monitor those who purchase the drinks, and makes sure they are not sharing with underage customers. In fact, everyone who buys alcohol on site, legally, receives a flourescent green wrist band that helps the theater staff find them and check on them during movies.

Randolph contacted Kelly Hoskins, a spokesperson for the company that owns Campbell 16, and she said, “Our movie-goers have requested our food and alternative drink offerings, which is why we built the Diner food area. Our sales policy is to card each purchase and allow only one alcohol beverage to be purchased per ID.”

Ruschevsky said she wanted to make sure parents who drop off kids at the theater were aware that there is a bar in the lobby. It should be noted the presence of alcohol at Campbell 16 is not new. They have been serving alcoholic beverages for over a year.

Not all teens are concerned about the effort to ban the booze at the theater. Parkview senior said, “It’s more up to the parents. Campbell 16 should not be held responsible.”

The task force is working to get signatures on a proposal they would like to bring to the City Council soon.

After talking to both sides, Randolph said, “This debate will definitely continue for a while.”

Senior reporter Olivia Tinkler just survived an experiment for the sake of an HTV story. It wasn’t easy.

To show how much teens have become dependent on their cell phones, Tinkler went three days without. From Friday, 8 a.m. until Monday, 8 a.m., she was not allowed to talk on her cell phone, or anyone else’s. She turned her phone into HTV adviser Dave Davis on Friday morning and got it back the next Monday.

“I knew I could do it, but I knew it would be really hard,” said Tinkler, who spent most of the weekend at a friend’s house so she could relay anything important that Tinkler couldn’t share via text. “I never want to do it again,” Tinkler said. The story was supposed to be about another teen going without a phone, but Tinkler could not find any willing victims. So she stepped up.

Photographers Mitch Easter and Kendra Edmonds followed the reporter throughout the weekend, and back at HHS for the reunion of girl and phone.

“My dad hated it as much as I did. He was really antsy all weekend. My mom was out of town, so she didn’t really care,” said Tinkler.

The story is part of the early November edition of “HTV Magazine,” anchored by Keith Reynolds and Chelsey Williamson. Participatory stories like this one are not new to HTV. Through the years reporters have tried skydiving, trout fishing, and other more physical challenges. But the one Tinkler survived may stand as the most painful for modern teens.

“I don’t think it’s possible at all to do without a cell phone these days. I need it for work, and even coaches and teachers are sending messages about practices and assignments. It’s the new era. The cell phone is here to stay,” Tinkler said.

The top 20 stories in HTV’s 20-year history have been selected, and it was a challenging process, according to long-time adviser Dave Davis. The list includes selections that represent Hillcrest’s amazing broadcast journalism tradition.

“I’ve been agonizing over this for some time. I got great input from people whose expertise I trusted on a several of the picks. When you have hundreds of stories to consider, covering two decades, it’s a little overwhelming,” said Davis.

The list’s oldest selection, from November of 1989, is a profile of Coach Lou Fees that had a huge impact in its day. It was produced by Lori Reed, Julie Moyer and Dan Arnall.

“That story pretty much put us on the map at our school, and led to many more in-depth segments about people who mattered to our teen audience,” Davis said.

The most controversial story ever produced by HTV, according to Davis, “had to be on this list.” It was the 1991 expose of illegal alcohol sales to minors, all captured on hidden camera. The ’story about the story’ hit the front page of the Springfield News-Leader the morning of the first broadcast of “Sixteen and a Sixpack,” a documentary that stirred public debate for weeks.

“The thing that amazes me now is that ‘Sixteen and a Sixpack’ was only our 14th show ever. I still believe it was a great example of high school journalism, and it taught us lessons that I still use to this day,” Davis said.

The most recent selection is from January of 2008. Ironically, it is also about illegal alcohol sales to minors, but this time, the student reporters bought the booze online. Rachel Miles and Kendra Weatherford won one of HTV’s three national student Emmy awards for “Easy Access.”

All of the top 20 segments will be featured on a brand new DVD that becomes available for the first time at the “HTV 20th Anniversary Party” on October 17 at Hillcrest. In addition to those stories, the disc will include all six of HTV’s “RFK Award” winners, and five of the top student commentaries from years gone by.

“It’s a pretty good walk down memory lane, and I owe everything to the kids who worked the long hours, and committed to this program,” Davis said.

HTV Magazine Top 20 Stories
(1989-2009)
“Coach Lou Fees” (1989) by Lori Reed, Julie Moyer, and Dan Arnall
“Take One Down” (1991) by Mike Hargis, April Tiller, Jeanne Bryan, Bryan Foster, Dan Arnall, and Sarah Catlin
“Choices” (1995) by Kaylea Boutwell and Jeff Johnson
“Oklahoma City Memorial” (1997) by J’Nell Jones and Micah Hay
“Teen Suicide” (1998) by Nichole Kimmons and Micah Hay
“Basic Training” (1999) by Elizabeth Ragain, Jesse Nivens and Julie Greene
“Clayton’s Last Breath” (2000) by Alyea Azeez and Ben Bumgarner
“Stepping Out” (2001) by Josh Jones and Josh Martin
“You Didn’t Hear the Birds Sing” (2002) by Megan Matrone and Andy McFarland
“Teens and Pornography” (2003) by Brandon Goodwin and Jeremy Wells
“Deadly Forecast” (2003) by Carolyn Eastman and Bryan Snider
“Miracle Girl” (2004) by Ashley Pratt, Aaron Plymire and Craig Vandivert
“Tacking the Challenge” (2005) by Rebekah Feemster, Hannah Eagleman, Konrad Kersten, and Caira Daugherty
“For a Purpose” (2006) by Lillian Olive and Rachel Miles
“Chatroom: Jerry Jacob” (2006) by Lauren Bishop and Jordan Fielding
“Whose Video?” (2007) by Mehleena Edmonds and Alex Tabor
“Never Give Up” (2007) by Charles McDonald, Julie Wootton, Kendra Weatherford and Jordan Fielding
“Shayna’s Story” (2007) by Kendra Weatherford and Rachel Miles
“Easy Access” (2008) by Rachel Miles and Kendra Weatherford
“James’ Big Day” (2008) by Julie Wootton and Rob Lyons

RFK Winners
1998 J’Nell Jones and Barbara Ellard “The Alzheimers Experience”
1999 Jason Raphael, Jesse Nivens and Kory Stubblefield “BASE”
2000 Alyea Azeez, Ben Bumgarner, Elizabeth Farrand and Lauren Terrill “A Sporting Chance”
2002 Rachel Osborn, Eric Hernando, Kirk Hadden, Ashley Reynolds, and Erin Neal “Poverty In the Ozarks”
2005 Quinci Adams and Carrie Lutz “The Rare Breed”
2007 Lillian Olive and Rachel Miles “Threads of Hope”

Commentaries
1994 “London: Final Thoughts” Valarie Poindexter
1998 “Too Sick for School” Rae Swan
2008 “Growing Up Too Fast” Fran Olive
1995 “Branson” Kaylea Boutwell
2005 “Emo Music” Tyler Snodgrass

A celebration that spanned two decades of broadcasting at Hillcrest took place on October 17. Former broadcast students Lori (Reed) Collier and Rae (Swan) Snobl planned the event last summer as a way to honor past students, and to raise money for the annual HTV Alumni Scholarship.

Former staffers came together to enjoy old clips from past shows, to tour renovated HTV studio and classroom area, and to enjoy snacks they remembered and requested from their years in media at HHS.

After 90 minutes of mingling and watching humorous videos from days gone by, the over 200 in attendance gathered in the auditorium for the formal program. Tyler Snodgrass, a 2007 HTV alum, peformed a 15-minute stand-up routine, then was joined by Charles McDonald from the class of ‘08 to sing a song parody written just for the occasion.

The comedy was followed by a 30-minute retrospective produced byDave Davis, HTV adviser since the program began in 1989. There were plenty of surprises in the video, including congratulatory clips from Mark Steines, co-host of “Entertainment Tonight” and Charles Gibson from ABC News. Steines was the first HTV guest speaker in the fall of 1989 while he was a sports anchor for KSPR. Former HTVer Dan Arnall (1989-92), FInancial Editor for ABC News in New York, recruited Gibson for the special ’shout-out’ congratulating HTV.

“It was a great celebration of everything HTV and Coach Davis have achieved,” said Sky Poindexter, a member of the 1995-96 HTV staff. The ‘96 group had one of the biggest turnouts at the party. “There are a lot of great people associated with HTV.”

Davis was surprised by the turnout of over 200 former students. “Any weekend in the fall is busy, with a lot of conflicts. I am so appreciative of the people who took time to come back to Hillcrest for this,” said Davis.
The first edition of “HTV Magazine” debuted on local cable access on October 12, 1989. Since then, students have produced basically the same show for 20 years.

“HTV needs to just stay the same. It’s consistent, it’s classic,” said 2008-09 News Director Mehleena Edmonds.

At the end of the party, a drawing for the “Ultimate HTV Gift Basket” took place, and Jason Raphael, alum from 1999, won an assortment of goodies, including a laminated pass signed by Coach Davis for “anytime, to go anywhere,” and all five of the HTV DVD compilations, including the new, 20th anniversary disc.

One of the stories covered on the latest “HTV Magazine” featured the strange combination of a rock concert and a blood drive. But that was intentional.

The first “Bloody Battle of the Bands” took place at Remington’s on the city’s south side. Local bands displayed their talent for a teen audience while a few feet away a blood drive was taking place. Those who donated were allowed to cast a vote for their favorite band.

David Montgomery, the Director of Donor Recruitment for the Community Blood Center, the event’s sponsor, said, “Summertime is probably the most difficult time for meeting patient need across the Ozarks.”

That inspired the idea to get teen donors involved by hosting the Battle of the Bands contest. Teens are used to giving during blood drives held throughout the school year, but those donations dry up in the summer months.

The winning band received a gift certificate to local music stores and eight hours of studio recording time. The teens who dropped by to donate blood said they just wanted to help out.

“My friend texted me the other day and asked if I was going. If there was a thing going on, I wanted to be a part of it,” said Chenae Morris from Parkview.

A teen from Bentonville, AR summed it up best: “I want to save lives.”

After 20 years on cable access, one of the nation’s oldest student-produced shows has a new home.

The Ozarks CW will carry “HTV Magazine” beginning this Saturday, September 26. The show will air every other Saturday, alternating with the student-produced show from Central High School.

“It is so nice to be on a channel that can be seen outside of Springfield. We’ll have thousands more potential viewers, and working with broadcast pros has been great,” said long-time HTV adviser Dave Davis

The local NBC affiliate, KY3, owns and operates the local CW channel. Hillcrest has been a “parter in education” with the station since the fall of 1989, when HTV began. Davis says having a contract with KY3, which lays out specific deadlines and procedures, and has been good for his students.

“We have real deadlines we simply can’t miss. Our show will now be closed-captioned for the first time. And if we choose, we can produce short promos they will run on the CW. There is a lot about the move to the new channel that benefits our show,” said Davis.

“It’s nice that our friends outside of the city can see HTV now. They always hear about it, but when we were on access, only cable viewers in Springfield could see us,” said senior Olivia Tinkler.

Tinkler and Chelsy Rea, HTV’s co-News Directors, anchored the first show. It had a a specific total running time, and had to allow for three commercial breaks, another first for HTV.

“I think it’s a pretty good first show. We shot summer stories, and had a few challenges. But that’s to be expected,” said Rea. The show will not have a lot of new wrinkles, according to Rea. “We still have our teen focus, and our Chatroom and Commentary segments.” Davis and his staff will produce a show a month through May. Specific airtimes are “flexible” due to sports programming, but the show is set for Saturdays.

“We run at 2:30 p.m. through December, then we’ll see where they put us in the new year,” said Davis, who says the show originally ran at 10 p.m. on Wednesday nights when HTV started on local cable in 1989.

“It was great to have an access channel, but when the school district gave up the channel last spring, we contacted KY3. It’s due to their faith in our show that we have a new place to be seen,” said Davis, who credits Mike Scott, the KY General Manager, for giving the program it’s new home.

“He has shown faith in us. Now we have to live up to it and meet our deadlines,” Davis said.