And the Oscar Goes To... SHS Morning Announcements!

The Lantern is rolling out the red carpet for the first ever SHS Announcement Academy Awards.
These awards are going to students who have displayed extraordinary talent in the field of making entertaining openers.
Openers have become an emblem of Strongsville High, giving students humor and information every day during second period.
Every student has a favorite opener from their four years of high school. These awards highlight recent classics introduced to the student body on the morning announcements.
Each clip is a reminder of the activities, teachers and students that make our school great. From goofy reminders about school policies, to entertaining reminders about upcoming events, openers give students something to look forward to every day.
Openers were rated on a 1-5 scale in two categories: Creativity and execution.
Creativity is based on the uniqueness of material in the opener, especially in writing.
Execution refers to the quality of filming and techniques used.

Best Original Song: “The DECA Song,” Lew, Erik and Chase
Creativity: 5
The DECA song won major points for its creative and catchy lyrics. What a great way to get students interested in DECA.
Execution: 5
The video gives the feeling of a music video, and the setting of the opener in what looks like a recording studio only reinforces that vibe.
Lew- “Some say there comes a time in a man’s life in which he truly feel he did a great job and has finally been appreciated for his work. This is that time. Speaking on behalf of two of the most creative and inspiring musicians of the decade (Chase and Erik), all of the credit for this video goes to us. Erik put together one of the most catchy and informative DECA promotions in history, while Chase produced and played an epic solo. All the credit goes to the group. Thank you.”

Best Documentary: “Senior Finals: True or False” series, Kyle
Creativity: 5
The use of interjections to dispel myths about taking finals senior year is short, sweet and to the point. The true and false type format is catchy and appeals to the short attention spans of groggy students.
Execution: 4
Though the opener used some fun special effects, the use of them is slightly awkward. Overall, the effects resulted in a opener with an impact.

Best Message: “Hike ‘em!,” Alex
Creativity: 5
Funny and inventive, this opener is clearly hammering home its message to pull up your pants. Even guilty parties can’t help but laugh at the unattractiveness of saggy pants.
Execution: 4
While the segment is well-filmed, it lacks some inventiveness in the shots. Even so, it doesn’t take away from the overall effect.
Alex- "I would like to thank all of my supporters, they were instrumental in the making of this film. I promised I wouldn't get emotional... You know I had the idea for this video back in '94, but it was too sophisticated for the times. Everyone said it could never be done, they were only adding fuel to my fire. Fourteen years later, the technology was finally advanced enough to produce the film. It just goes to show you that with a little patience and elbow grease, anything is possible. Thank you."

Best Sports Montage: Wrestling, Clay
Creativity: 4
Though there is a montage for almost every sport at SHS, this opener stood out with its edgy music and eye catching clips.
Execution: 5
Overall, this film was well edited and presented. The entire package is a really great effect, and shows some great skill on Clay’s part.
Clay- “I’d like to thank Ruese for giving me the idea and Alex for the great song. I wanted to honor all the wrestlers and show how hard we work.”

Best Comedy: “Man vs. School,” Steve Gallas
Creativity: 5
As a spoof on the popular “Man vs. Wild” series, Steve perfectly executes his best British accent for a funny take on surviving life at SHS. From the now-defunct ID policy to lunchtime, no piece of high school is left untouched.
Execution: 5
The filming of this opener only reinforces the goals of the series’ humor.

From encouraging school policies, to showing pride in SHS sports and activities, the openers for the morning announcements give every student something to look forward to in the morning.
Keep up the good work SHS filmmakers. We look forward to more of your work in the future.