CCHS Classmates Tag Along With KPSP News Producers

By Danna Leyva

During my job shadowing day with classmate Laura Padilla, I was partnered with mobile reporter Eddie Quezada. He interviewed Rajendra Netha, El Paseo Jewelry owner, for a story to inform consumers about the changing price of gold. He also interviewed Rocky from Rockey's Pawn Shop.
After that, we followed up on a story about the lawsuit against the Palm Springs animal shelter for euthanizing animals in a " No Kill" shelter. We went to the Palm Springs Animal Shelter to ask about the lawsuit, but they didn't want to come out on camera, so we came away without a story.
Then we went back to the KPSP local 2 news station to edit the interviews and put the stories together. While I was waiting for Eddie to write the story, Laura and I asked assignment desk editor Tom Cutler (pictured above with Laura) about his job. We listened to the police and fire radio frequencies, which is how he finds out what's going on the community. Tom Cutler has to make the decision whether to send a reporter to get the story or not.

Job shadowing KPSP local 2 was an amazing learning experience and has made me realize what happens in the environment of a television news station.

By Laura Padilla

I was partnered with mobile journalist Arti Nehru. She interviewed Desert Sands Assistant Superintendent for Personnel Sherry Johnstone about the proposed 50 classified employee layoffs.

This includes bus drivers, custodians, and librarians, which, according to DSUSD bus driver BJ Anderson, will affect not only the employees that receive the pink slips but the students who use the services as well.

Just as Arti finished her interviews for the first story, she rushed to her second interview.

For the second story, she interviewed Palm Springs Superintendent Lorri McCune about the canceling of school on Good Friday. McCune said that many staff members requested Good Friday off because it was an important religious holiday to celebrate, leaving the district with no choice but to cancel the school day because they couldn't arrange enough substitutes to cover the teachers who would be out that day.

After recording the video for the two stories, we headed back to the KPSP news station. At the news station, Tom Cutler explained his position as the assignment desk manager; he sits by the radios of the fire department and police department to listen for any emergency news.

Then meteorologist Patrick Evans (below) took us on a tour of the studio. After the tour, he showed us that he gets the information for the weather reports from satellite video and weather web pages.

He also explained that when he is reporting the weather on air, he is only standing in front of a green background where the image is just synced in for the viewer to see.

At the end of the day, I sat in the studio to watch the five o'clock news broadcast go on air. It was amazing to see the stories in their production phase make it to air.

Digital Storytellers Spend Day at Desert Sun

Desert Sun publisher Mark Winkler told juniors from Matt Hamilton's Digital Storytelling Class that "My advice to you is to have passion for what you do. That's the most important thing."

The students spent Wednesday April 13, 2011 at the Desert Sun, attending the morning staff meeting (editor Greg Burton at left) where the day's story list was discussed and then touring the facility, courtesy of Press/Distribution Center Manager Mike Soto.

The visit was facilitated by Carol Horton, the marketing manager at the Desert Sun.

Reporters Brian Indrelunas and Sonya English, both new to the Sun, talked about their preparation for the newspaper businss. Indrelunas is a graduate of Arizona State and English graduated from the University of Kansas. Both Indrelunas and English bring evolving media skills to the newspaper, and even though they are newcomers to the news business, they also bring a media savvy that gives them added value to a business that is now much more than just newsprint. "The business is changing, but the basics of storytelling remain the same," said Indrelunas.

The Sun has a circulation of 70,000 during the season that drops to 40,000 off season. It uses 100% recyclable newsprint.

Cathedral City High Students Reflect On A Week Among The Hungry And Homeless

Rancho Mirage councilman Scott Hines weeklong homeless journey is complete and the students from Matt Hamilton's digital storytelling class who walked and rode the bus and interviewed people along the way with Scott in morning and afternoon shifts have logged all their footage, but the lessons learned will live on forever in all their lives.

Revealed in the over 30 hours of footage that will be turned into a documentary by the students are several lessons: the homeless and the hungry among us take care of their hungry brethern in shelters, in the homeless camps hidden away in our Valley, in the parking lot of fast food restuarants; organizations like the FIND Food Bank are the lifeline for thousands of hungry people in our valley; and, finally, there for the grace of God and the ability to make our rent or monthly mortgage payments, go you and I.

You can hear the life lessons CCHS students learned in this report aired on KPSP Local2 Friday night, April 8, 2011.

Scott Hines, Day Six: How Food Distribution Centers Prevent Homelessness

Day Six finds Rancho Mirage councilman Scott Hines in front of Our Lady of Solitude Church where the hungry can get something to eat for lunch. Hines' weeklong journey across the valley is highlighting the plight of the hungry in an attempt to raise money for the FIND Food Bank.

Before eating lunch, Hines talked to Palm Springs Councilwomen Ginny Foat about how places like Our Lady of Solitude and other food pantries across the valley are actually helping to prevent families from becoming homeless.

Jennifer Juarez, a senior in the digital arts program at Cathedral City, filmed this interview April 7, 2011.

mhamilton@psusd.us

DATA Students Step In Front Of The Camera Wednesday

Digital Storytellers in Matt Hamilton's class at Cathedral City High School were the story instead of capturing the story Wednesday. The Desert Sun newspaper ran a story Wednesday morning about the students following Rancho Mirage councilman Scott Hines' week on the streets as a homeless person. Hines' journey is highlighting the plight of the hungry in our Valley in an attempt to raise awareness as well as money for the FIND Food Bank.

Wednesday afternoon, Anabel Munoz of Palm Springs Univision was in class to ask four Spanish speakers, seniors Lupita Fuentes and Tanya Sanchez and juniors Paola Fernandez and Ayrton Carrazco, about their experiences filming Hines as he makes his way around the Valley. This story will air tonight at 6 p.m. and again at 11 p.m. on Univision Palm Springs.

Thirty students are involved in the project that documents Hines' travels as well as the people in shelters and food pantries that he meets during the week.

Hines' journey will culminate Friday at KPSP Local2 during that station's telethon for hunger.

Scott Hines, Day Five: "The Most Difficult Thing I've had to deal with is a feeling of helplessness"

It was only day five for Rancho Mirage councilman Scott Hines on his weeklong homeless journey to raise awareness about hunger in the Valley, but you could tell this experience was taking its toll. Cathedral City High School students Paola Fernandez and Cristal Gonzalez caught up with Hines today to find out how he's feeling and what he's learned so far. APRIL 6, 2011

Day Four, Scott Hines' Homeless Journey

After four days on the streets, Scott Hines has a different view of bus shelters.

Rancho Mirage councilman Hines is in day four of his homeless journey across the Coachella Valley to bring attention to hunger in the Valley and to raise money for the FIND Food Bank.

Midday Tuesday, while riding a Sun Bus, he overshoots his destination and eventually has to walk a mile to the Mountain View Affordable Senior Housing where he talked with residents.

Scott's journey is being filmed by students from Matt Hamilton's digital storytelling class, and today it was Laura Padilla and Danna Leyva who were documenting Scott's travels and travails.

April 5, 2011

Jackie Turns Life Around At Martha's Kitchen and Village

In her drug-addicted state, Jackie could do little more than fix Top Ramen for her kids when they were little. She turned her life around and now works at Martha's Village and Kitchen, the same place where she began to rebuild her life. Jackie's story is just one of many Rancho Mirage councilman Scott Hines has encountered as he works his way around the Valley's soup kitchens and homeless campgrounds as part of his week on the streets. This interview was captured by Cathedral City High School digital storytellers Lupita Fuentes and Spencer McQuinn. Both are students in Matt Hamilton's class at Cathedral City High School. April 4, 2011.

mhamilton@psusd.us

Scott Hines Homeless Journey, Day 2

There are a lot of sad stories Sunday morning April 3, 2011 in the parking lot of the Golden Rainbow Center food pantry in Palm Springs. There's the gay youth shunned by his family, hungry and shy in line as he waits for someone to call out his number so he can grab a bag of groceries and split. A man who once owned five houses but had to file bankruptcy when the economy tanked. Another man who has four generations living in his house.

In the line as well is Scott Hines, a councilman from Rancho Mirage, who is living on the streets for a week to bring attention to the problem of hunger in the Coachella Valley.

There's a misconception that everyone at this food pantry and other food distribution centers is homeless. Not necessarily. But everyone is there in an attempt to stave off hunger.

Across the street, cars pull in and out of a gated hillside community, a juxtaposition not lost on those paying attention. It's getting warmer by the minute in the parking lot outside the pantry with today's high expected to be 85. Still, there's no disorder, no hot tempers, just people grateful to walk away with their food stuffs.

Among the faces and voices in the parking lot Sunday morning is Ellen Zimmerman, an articulate and forceful voice for those in need.

Here is her conversation with Lisa Houston, Chief Executive Officer and President of the FIND Food Bank in Indio, California.

-Matt Hamilton, Cathedral City High School

Cathedral City High School Students Document Homeless Experience

Students in Matt Hamilton's Digital Storytelling Class at Cathedral City High School are following Rancho Mirage councilman Scott Hines as he spends a week living on the streets in Coachella Valley. The students are participating in a documentary that will highlight the problems of hunger in the Valley.

The story began with a grocery distribution in the parking lot of Calvary Bible Church in Cathedral City Saturday morning, April 2, 2011.

Hines is carrying no cash or identification as he makes his way across the Valley using public transportation and eating at public food pantries. He's meeting and talking with people throughout the week, from the homeless people to elected city officials, to talk about hunger in the Valley.

His journey is part of FIND Food Bank's hunger awareness campaign and ends Friday at KPSP Local2 where he will be part of a telethon at the station to raise money for FIND.