SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- HTV has been the place to be for Hillcrest High School students aspiring for careers in television journalism. On Friday night, the magazine will celebrate a milestone.
Coach Davis, as students call teacher Dave Davis, started the broadcasting program in 1989.
“We had a VHS camera, a VCR and a TV. We couldn't edit, had no microphones. Using a tripod was an interesting idea; we didn't have one of those,” Davis said Thursday. “I still have found memories of this, back in the analog days.”
Davis had a vision to teach kids the basics when it comes to visual story-telling. As Davis found ways to both teach kids and raise money for equipment, his vision become a reality.
Now, 23 years later, show number 200 will be shown for the first time about 7:15 p.m. at Central Bible College on Friday night. HTV alumni working in television all across the country are sending in their congratulations to the current team.
“If we have students that graduate that go into the profession, it's because they have the fire in their belly. They really want to be a journalist,” said Davis.
Not all graduates of the program ended up going into journalism, but those who did, including this reporter, know that what we learned at Hillcrest helps us with any job.
“I've really become a people person because of HTV,” said student Jodie Putman.
Show number 200 is not the only news on The Hill, as the Hillcrest community calls their campus.
“I'm retiring but I'm going hang around,” said Davis, who will work part-time starting in the next school year. “It's time. It's been 30 years in this district. I loved it but something inside said it's time to cut back. So that's what I'm going to do.”
It’s a milestone 23 years in the making.
