It was an exciting opportunity to attend the BASH awards at Hofstra University’s Lawrence Herbert School of Communication and the John Cranford Adams Playhouse. Over one thousand New York Metropolitan Area school students, teachers, and administrators were there for one thing—to showcase their hard work that they had completed over the school year. The energy was high, similar to a red-carpet atmosphere with cameras surrounding almost every corner. The BASH, aka the Broadcast Alliance for Senior High, was founded in 2017 and is now the largest student broadcast gathering in the tri-state area.
During this experience, there was a high intensity competition where students were challenged to create a vertical news package. The prompt focused on telling a story of the event, to think like a journalist and to focus on the importance or impact of the experience. Everyone was given only 2 hours to fit their creative visions into one 60-90 second video. This fast paced experience made everyone think on their feet while testing their ability to adapt, manage time efficiently and communicate with people that share similar goals.
One experience that aligns with how our ability to communicate clearly with our peers was during an interview. A question that has stayed with us was: “Do you think that the BASH awards can inspire the next generation and why?” At first, it was definitely nerve wracking, but pushing boundaries allows people to expand their abilities to the max. The response given to the interviewer matches exactly how we felt in the moment: “Yes, because people can learn how to step out of their comfort zone and show their true colors. This paves a way for more open opportunities and allows them to interact with their communities in a more impactful way.” This interaction highlighted the importance of teamwork and creativity each school had. Illustrating unique perspectives and different talents or identity each one presented.
For Baldwin High School’s YCLC (Youth Change Leader Collaborative) studios, the event marked a new beginning. YCLC, which focuses on showcasing the school community, has developed many videos relating to the common theme at today’s BASH Awards. Each member’s contribution was valuable because it helped pave the way for success. Learning to step out of our comfort zone and talking to different schools taught us to grow and learn from our peers.
YCLC studios had submitted a video titled The Powerhouse Project, whose main goal was to highlight the grit and determination of the Baldwin High School Varsity Football. An honorable mention goes to senior class Best Producer Fahiem Jenkins, who partook in the film. Having been in YCLC for four years, he has demonstrated full determination and outstanding skills. Now going off to college, we wish him the best of luck in his journey and he will truly be missed! Overall, this video was very inspiring and earned its way to first place in the BASH awards competition. This became a powerful and emotional moment for YCLC, experiencing an immense amount of joy, as it was our first time participating. Truly, this day became an unforgettable moment for the students and an inspiration for what is yet to come.
Gaining insight on different school studio production and shared unity within their community inspired new ideas for Baldwin. YCLC studios plans to create a more immersive and engaging experience by collaborating with other media related clubs and courses within the school. Since this was our first year at BASH, we have better insight on what the judges are looking for and have been discussing future projects that challenge ourselves more. One thing is definitely clear; this is only a glimpse of YCLC’s rise in student media. Take this experience as both an inspiration and reminder of what one can achieve when creativity, teamwork and passion come together.
