By Alisa Boswell

Portales High School students involved in the media arts program are gaining experience most high school students don’t have the luxury of getting, according to media arts teacher Shawn Carter.

Carter said the class has been very fortunate to be able to get such strong support from school administration and therefore, able to get such good equipment to work with.

“I honestly don’t know any other schools that can give kids the hands on experience that Shawn can,” said PHS Athletic Director Mark Gallegos, who works with the students when they film PHS football games. “These guys do a really neat assembly at the end of the school year, and I think it’s one of the assemblies that our kids on campus really look forward to.  The kids come and watch different videos they’ve made … It’s really well done. Some of it is thought-provoking and some of it is humorous. It’s really fun.”

Students in the class get to create videos on the school’s athletic games and other events, as well as work with ENMU media arts students at times.

Student Mireya Chavez, 17, said seeing people react to her videos is one of the best parts to being in the program, because their positive reactions tell her that she did something right.

“Seeing people laugh at your funny videos makes you feel like you did something right,” she said.

Payton Santillanes said he is leaning towards a career in news broadcasting.

“I just love working with the technical aspect, working with all of the technology we have available to us. Not everybody gets to do what we get to do over here,” he said.

Furthermore, Santillanes likes “fiddling with things ‘til he figures them out,” according to Carter.

“I’m always telling Coach Gallegos and the principals that I’m actually the smartest teacher on campus, because I’m the only one teaching a subject where the kids actually know more than I do,” Carter said with a laugh. “I learn from the kids every day. I’m just the facilitator in here. I just make sure they have what they need.”

Tyler Underhill, 16, edits the “Ram Night” videos taken at home football games.

“I just like this because it’s an unconventional way of expressing yourself,” he said. “Usually, people will write music or they’ll write poetry or something, but this is really an unconventional route to go. It’s becoming more conventional every day, but still, it has been an unconventional way to go.”

Aida Gutierrez, 17, agreed that the creative process of expressing yourself is the best part of the program.

“I like that we get to be creative in here. We all have our own ideas, and we all get to make different videos,” she said.