For every episode of EVTV, we seek to tell stories about the issues impacting our community and feature the people within. We seek to tell the stories that are right in front of people every day but that we often don’t make the time or space to seek out and listen to. But these are the stories that make our community special. This portfolio contains investigative, inclusive, connecting, clarifying, and entertaining broadcast journalism that we’ve engaged in this school year. For our investigative selection, we are submitting a package that investigate what Student Council has been doing all year and what their plans are for future programming. Students were missing annual activities, and in the fall, adapted ones were promised but never happened, so our reporters took the questions students had been asking us to Student Council to find out what plans are in place for making some of our school’s annual events happen in some capacity this spring. We were torn on which entries to label for our inclusive reporting and connecting entry, as we see much similarity between these two categories. Ultimately, we decided to submit our special extended segment on the Veterans of Eagle County for our inclusive reporting entry. The description of this category says it is reporting that “covers a group that is overlooked,” and we feel this reporting comprehensively features a population oft overlooked in society. We partnered with the local VFW to make this extended package as well as profiles of each of the veterans so that schools up and down Eagle County, public and private, could have veterans virtually in their buildings sharing their stories on Veterans Day to promote greater understanding among students of veterans, their experiences, and the significance of Veterans Day. The reporting itself was inclusive, as we partnered with the VFW over several weeks to produce it, and the message of the reporting one of inclusion that promotes considering different perspectives and seeking understanding. For our connective reporting entry, we have submitted a human interest profile on Jaime Macias ’21, the first male Devil Dancer at Eagle Valley High School. Stepping outside the traditional gender expectations surrounding sports, Jaime’s pursuit of his passion for dance is a story of bravery, authenticity, and leadership. This reporting on Jaime reveals both the growing inclusion among and within Eagle Valley sports teams and students while also promoting greater inclusion in our community as well. Ahead of the 2020 election, there was much dialogue and debate within our community about a number of political issues, one of which being voting. In order to clarify misinformation and misconceptions about the voter registration process and timeline here in Colorado, our reporters covered this important and timely issue. Entertainment is something we seek to include in episodes of EVTV for balance, especially around the holidays. We attend to our audiences’ needs, and we throw in an entertainment package or episode when we feel our community needs some affirmation, inspiration, or laughs to bring us together. This type of reporting has been especially important this year in light of our hybrid learning schedule and amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Reporting on socially distant activities to do over winter break provided entertainment for viewers to watch while also facilitating their pursuit of entertainment over winter break.  Even though it doesn’t quite fit into any of this competition’s categories, we recognize that perhaps the most immediately effective way we’ve seen the broadcast program facilitate community connection this year has been through livestreaming sports. Since audiences were either eliminated or limited during the various sports seasons, our coverage of these games have enabled parents, family, friends, students, and staff near and far to watch sports and support student athletes. Our viewers have noted that they feel connected to the Eagle Valley community when they watch this programming and expressed appreciation for our productions, and our athletes feel good knowing their loved ones and community can see them from home and are watching, supporting, and celebrating them. Being able to watch the sporting events at the same time and then talk about after builds community. Each of the packages we’ve submitted has required connection among our EVTV crew in order to execute the reporting and has promoted connection among our community by fostering deeper understanding of the issues impacting our community, the opportunities within it, and the people who sustain it. We are proud of the work we’ve done to facilitate connection in our community.

Investigative: issues in school or community

This reporting sought the answers many students were asking EVTV reporters- what’s going on with Prom? Wish Week? Student Council?

Inclusive: covering a group that is overlooked

This special extended segment features the veterans from VFW Post 10721 Minturn and their reflections on their experiences and the significance of Veterans Day.

Connecting: in-depth human features

This profile is on Eagle Valley’s first male Devil Dancer Jaime Macias ’21.

Clarifying: combatting bias with facts, whether toward people or topics

In this package, our reporters get the facts about voter registration in Colorado.

Entertaining: novelty, humor, culture, arts, etc.

Before the start of winter break, this package suggested  socially distant activities for students and staff to try to have fun while staying safe over the break.