Ashleigh Lucas, a graduate of Riverdale High School, was nominated for two EMMYS students for her stories “Coming to a Zone Near You” and “Lady Legacy”. PHOTO PROVIDED
Two young Lee County School District graduates received recognition for videos they made while interning with LeeSchools TV.
Grace Edmonds, a graduate of Island Coast High School, was awarded the 2021 Student Production Award (Student EMMY) from the Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. It will now compete against students across the country at the National Student Production Awards.
Ashleigh Lucas, a graduate of Riverdale High School, was nominated for her story for two EMMYS students “Come to a zone near you” and “The Lady’s Legacy.”
“I was so excited when my bosses texted me that I received the nomination. I couldn’t stop smiling. To be selected from so many applicants was really exciting. “ said Lucas.
Island Coast High School graduate Grace Edmonds received the Student Production Award 2021 (Student EMMY) for her video “Earning Their Stripes”. PHOTO PROVIDED
“The Legacy of the Lady” two and a half minute video, was nominated in the Sports Story or Segment category. It was about the Mariner High School ROTC team with all the girls. Lucas said the all-girls team has just won the district title and is making progress towards the national team. The video, she said, shared the battles the team faced with COVID, as well as an all-female team that went to national games.
“The second package I made was based on the changes in the district zones.” she said of “Come to a zone near you” which was nominated in the category Public Affairs / Community Services.
The three and a half minute video provided information on the changes to the primary school area that will take place from 2022.
“I put together a package on the parents’ point of view, advantages and disadvantages, perspectives in general and changes”, She said.
Lucas prepared the interviews, conducted, filmed and edited the interviews and wrote the script for both videos. All of this happened during her internship in the county communications department, where she worked three hours a day two days a week.
“I worked in the district office in my senior year. I worked there my junior year. When I went in my senior year (I tried) doing some of the best packages I could. It was exciting, a little stressful. I put everything in the packages “, said Lucas.
In the fall she will visit the University of Florida, where she will study journalism and political science in a double degree.
“In high school, I always knew I was passionate about editing and videography.” said Lucas.
When she was pushed into journalism and storytelling, she realized that her ultimate goal is to become a TV reporter.
Edmonds said the recognition came as a surprise.
“I didn’t even know my video was submitted. Suddenly my boss felt like you were nominated for an EMMY. “ She said. “I thought he took part in a little competition. This is serious. I’m very grateful. I am very grateful that I had a team that supported me. . . to see myself and my potential more than I saw in myself. “
Her EMMY win went in the Multimedia Journalist category for her video “Deserve your stripes.” Edmonds said the story that won the EMMY was about an internship program that was close to her.
“As soon as I heard the story, I turned to a couple of schools.” She said. “Dunbar High School has the internship program and a large partnership with NeoGenomics. You work in the laboratory and work with real DNA. I wanted to jump up so quickly. Many students do not have an opportunity to work in this field before college. You can see what they are going to do before deciding on a course. “
NeoGenomics is a cancer diagnostic center based in Fort Myers. Although there were four students who got a paid internship at the Cytometry Lab, there was one who was really passionate about it, Conner Daniels.
“She was really passionate about it and seemed to know what she was doing. I kind of concentrated on her. “ Edmonds said, adding that she talked about the other students in the video. “I limited it to her and her life and what she wanted to do with her life. In her interview she talks about her experiences and how everything went with the internship and how it influenced her life. “
As an intern for the communications production department of the Lee County School District, she was hired to do interviews, filming, editing, and writing her own script.
Edmonds “Deserve your stripes” The video was two minutes long, which she felt required a lot of manual labor, time, and dedication. The video took about a month to complete.
“You have to devote yourself to your work. Having a title behind my name shows that it pays off. “ said Edmonds.
A love developed for her work, which she will pursue at Florida Southwestern State College in the fall before moving to a college somewhere in Florida.
“I will drop out of general studies, save money and stay on site for two years, and my colleagues and I are planning to switch. I love to be in front of the camera and on the screen. “ Edmonds said of the prosecution of broadcast journalism. “If the Lord leads me to edit, I will. To be (an) anchor, that’s what I’ll do. I have all skills under my belt. “
She said that she will continue to grow and learn as her internship is just the beginning of her journey.
“I’m just so proud of Ashleigh and Grace” LeeSchools TV Intern Advisor and Multimedia Communications Coordinator Jason Sill said in a prepared statement. “They are dedicated to their work and both have a very good future. It’s great to see our world class students win on a world class stage. One look at the list of nominated schools makes the Lee County and public education recognition even more special. “
High school students can participate in the LeeSchools TV Internship Program, which provides hands-on experience in broadcast journalism while learning and implementing the recording, interviewing, writing and editing skills of stories researched from across the district.
High school students interested in broadcast journalism or television production can email Sill at [email protected].
Ashleigh Lucas Riverdale High School graduate Ashleigh Lucas was nominated for two student EMMYs for her stories “Coming to a Zone Near You” and “Lady Legacy”. PHOTO PROVIDED Grace Edmonds Grace Edmonds, a graduate of Island Coast High School, received the Student Production Award 2021 (Student EMMY) for her video, Earning Their Stripes. PHOTO PROVIDED
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