Williams News Logo
Grand Canyon News Logo

Trusted local news leader for Williams AZ and the Grand Canyon

That's a wrap: Grand Canyon School Videography I students document fire fighters for final
First year videography class highlights life of fire fighters and wildland fire program for class final

Grand Canyon School videography teacher Bently Monk watches as students adjust camera settings.  Photo/Amala Posey

Grand Canyon School videography teacher Bently Monk watches as students adjust camera settings. Photo/Amala Posey

GRAND CANYON, Ariz. - With cameras and clipboards in hand, students in Grand Canyon School's Videography I class got hands on filming experience May 7.

For a final project for the school year, students filmed a prescribed burn inside the national park and interviewed members of Grand Canyon's fire management crew as well as regional fire communicator and education specialist Michelle Fidler.

"They're using their skills as videographers while learning about different National Park Service careers," said Grand Canyon National Park's Resource Education Training Specialist Amala Posey. "This gives us a chance to highlight the world of fire."

Filming with the National Park Service (NPS) is nothing new for the students.

As part of an $18,000 National Park Foundation grant through the Park Steward's Program, high school students at the school have interviewed, filmed and edited several short films for the park to help document different careers and individuals at the park.

"The final project is part of this videography grant, so they'll create a short video that we can use for our website, Facebook, You Tube, you name it," Posey said. "But the films will also be a resource we can use to highlight the fire program and they'll be learning a ton at the same time."

Judging by the show of hands during an in class briefing, students have not had a lot of exposure to the science behind wildland fires and prescribed burns.

"If we had a fire right here in Grand Canyon, who are the stakeholders?" Posey asked the students, "For one, all your parents would be like, 'where are all my children, are they safe?'"

Posey spoke to students about the danger of fire, reminding them, in the event of a fire, it is fire specialists who communicate and contact the public and keep them informed of the fire's movement. Posey also emphasized the importance of safety and the responsibility of keeping the public informed but not scared.

"We have to be professional and we have to be careful," Posey said. "Because fire is something that not everyone is comfortable with and it can go way the wrong direction."

Regional fire communication and education specialist Michelle Fidler who works in fire information for the NPS in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma, was one-fire specialists interviewed by students.

"They're going to learn about what we are doing and then help us tell that story to the public - what we're doing and why," she said.

For Fidler, talking to students and sharing about her career is one way of reaching out to youth and she said she hopes students were able to take something away from their experience with the fire crews.

"(I want) to help them understand what the career opportunities are, the different types of work that we do within the park service and really the story of the park and why we are here," she said. "I think it's a great opportunity, we are always looking for more youth engagement in the park - they're the future."

As a first year class at Grand Canyon School, Videography I has been a success and according to videography teacher Bently Monk both the program and the students have grown over the last semester.

"Its gone really well and they've really taken off," he said. "I had one kid where, when we started studying directors, he chose Charlie Chaplin and shot a short film that is all in black and white and in silent film style - it's fantastic."

The class will wrap up the year by providing edited footage of interviews and short films taken throughout the semester and most recently with the fire crew.

"This is actually part of their final exam for the class," Monk said. "In conjunction with the National Park Foundation grant, this is the final step. The video they are filming, we will put (together) as a video and give it back to the park."

As part of the grant, students also have the opportunity to apply for two paid videography summer internships with the park. The internships have not yet been awarded at this time.


Donate Report a Typo Contact