Students united on Jan. 11 to celebrate and look back on first semester. Throughout the school, students were kept in their fourth period classes to watch the product of video production’s semester of work. Later at a special pep rally, the drama department acted out a skit and the soccer teams were honored.

“While we had not originally planned to do any FC Local shows this year, but we had a mixture of projects the students finished and a lot of the students asked me if we would do a show,” multi-media director, Christopher Schultz, said. “The video ranged from well-done shorts to amateurish pieces but I liked the finished product. They did a great job and I received a lot of positive responses from the student body.”

Seniors Nick Jones, Amber Dragoo and Josiah Thiesen used their two years of experience in video production class to organize and lead the project.

“We re-invented FC Local,” Jones said. “We created a new format with less stress in the class. I now love producing the show. The class is different and fun and I am excited about the direction it is taking.”

The two video production classes worked on the project for a month and chose a collection of short pieces for the final cut.

“FC Local is unlike any other class assignment,” Thiesen said. “The new format allows me freedom from the ‘box’ of sports shows and now allows me to express my bizarre self in my own way.”

The film was shown over the school’s closed circuit TV system. It included a segment focused on the risks and rewards of high school dating. The presentation made some feel that high school dating is wrong.

” I realized even more now that what (English teacher Greg) Stobbe has been saying all these years about boys is true,” Shawna Williams, ’02, said. “They’re evil, and girls shouldn’t date boys because they don’t know what they want. Boys are way more confusing then girls are.”

“FC local was the best its ever been; it dealt with more seriousness than it has before,” C.J. Haydock, ’03, said. “While I appreciate the humor, I also liked seeing the serious thoughts of my fellow students about dating and respecting others.” Others, however, found the video segments more fun than insightful and enjoyed watching students on the screen.

“It was fun seeing everyone I know on TV,” Esther Traudji, ’05.

Following the videos, students flocked to the gym to honor winter sports teams. Before the teams were introduced, however, the drama class presented a skit naming the top six reasons why certain students do not attend soccer games.

“The best part of the rally was the drama presentation because it had a lot of humor,” Joshua Powell, ’05, said. “It was fun to watch drama poke fun at certain kinds of people like why Greg Tharpe (’04) is on the soccer team. It was also cool to see the guys playing checkers get their game blasted by a soccer ball.”

“I portrayed a gimp on crutches,” Sam Fisher, ’03, said. “I felt I needed to re-embrace old memories as I was a cripple last year. I really feared getting drilled on the sidelines last year so; basically, I just was myself as a gimp. It was natural for me.”

One of the skits suggested that the reason why cheerleaders do not attend soccer games was the girls would get in the way of a shot and may even get knocked down by a shot or soccer players running out of control.

“I personally agree with the skit because we get hurt enough at practice and don’t need another injury while cheering at a soccer game,” Kim Zurisk, ’02, said.