Communication students win national honors
FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, February 17, 2004
Huntington, Ind. "Several Huntington College communication students received awards in the 2004 Intercollegiate National Religious Broadcasting (INRB) media competition at the National Religious Broadcasting Convention in Charlotte, N.C., February 13-17. Each year students under the direction of Dr. Lance Clark, assistant professor of communication, enter various projects in the INRB media competition. This year, Huntington students won four first-place awards in nine categories.
Jaymie Shafer, a junior broadcast communication major from Canton, Ohio, placed first in the Al Sanders Essay Contest, and received a $1000 grant. Her essay, Cinematic Theology, compared the different approaches to Christianity in film. She focused on the movies Bruce Almighty and The Lord of the Rings.
Paco Michelson, a senior Bible and religion major from Huntington, Ind., and Jonathan Bordeaux, a senior broadcast communication major from Roanoke, Ind., placed first in the Television Field Production category with their production, Hannah's Cross. The short film dealt with religious persecution in foreign countries.
Hannah's Cross marked the first official movie produced through the Vision Practicum course in the digital film studies curriculum. Digital film studies was instituted as a new major at Huntington College in the fall of 2003.
Michelson also won first place in the Radio Drama category with The Hiding Place, a production that served as an adaptation from the life story of Corrie Ten Boone.
Ben Short, a senior broadcast communication major from Archbold, Ohio, Jessica Brown, a senior broadcast communication major from Coldwater, Mich., and Andre Laird, a senior broadcast communication major from Mastick, N.Y., won first place in the Television Studio Production category with HCTV-22 News.The 20-minute show featured news stories, sports and weather. HCTV is broadcast regularly to the Huntington County community through the local cable system.
Other Huntington College communication students placed well in various categories. Amy Warkentien, a senior communication major from Huntington, Ind., finished third in the Music Video category. Her video to the song, Don't Dream It's Over, by Sixpence None the Richer encourages people to reach out to others in need.
Chris Wright, a junior broadcast communication major from Goshen, Ind., Shaun Leyse, a senior broadcast communication major from Decatur, Ind., Laird and Bordeaux placed second in the Music Video category with Slave, a song recorded by a Huntington College band, Quasi-Chi. The message included a young man's journey of redemption and his need for God.
While at the convention, Clark and his students received a special viewing of Mel Gibson's film, The Passion. They also attended several educational sessions pertaining to broadcasting and evangelical approaches to the communication industry.
Huntington College is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 60 academic concentrations. USNews & World Report ranks Huntington among the top comprehensive colleges in the Midwest. Founded in 1897 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Huntington College is located on a contemporary, lakeside campus in Huntington, Indiana. The College is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).
