LSC talent on display at annual AMS Club fundraiser

Lyndon State’s AMS Club has nearly $275 to work with following last week’s talent show fundraiser, which included a variety of musical acts.

Half of the money raised will cover annual conference fees, while the other half will be put toward the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund, according to club spokesman and event organizer Stephen Decatur.

The newly-formed musical duo of Jacqueline Laviolette and Kyle Gadapee took first place in the annual competition. The pair performed a cover of Beyoncé’s "Listen," with Laviolette signing and Gadapee accompanying her on piano.

Both said they were very pleased with the performance overall and look forward to collaborating again in the future.

They also collected a set of prizes totaling $250, all of which was donated by local businesses.

Newcomer Drew Cathcart finished second after performing a song he wrote just the day before.

“I only messed up once or twice,” Cathcart said while laughing when asked to talk about the quick turnaround.

Third place went to repeat performer Alyssa Rovella for her rendition of "Clean" by Taylor Swift.

Local meteorologists Kerrin Jeromin and Steve Glazier emceed the event, while a panel of five judges evaluated the talent.

Other notable acts included a dance set by Sarah Burnett and a rap performance by Steve Neas and Trevor Richmond.

The show featured 11 acts in total.

Many of them can be seen at other Lyndon State music events and at The Stage in Lyndonville.

Final Project Outline

For our final project, Louis and I will be creating a piece that highlights the upcoming AMS Talent Show. Our idea is to shoot video and take pictures of the event, create a podcast with audio interviews of the winners, and write up a brief accompanying story with additional information about the acts that will be performing.

The plan is for Louis to record video and take pictures, while I will be writing the accompanying article and conducting the audio interviews for the podcast. We will both be working together to combine all of the components into one finished product.

Early signs of winter intriguing for Vt. snow enthusiasts

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Communities throughout northern Vermont are celebrating the unofficial start of winter following last week’s hefty pre-Thanksgiving snowstorm. 

The system, which dumped nearly a foot of snow across the region, added natural powder to area ski slopes and will serve as a base snowpack for snowmobile and cross-country ski trails. 

Jay Peak reports that about 10 trails and four lifts are open as of this week, with more to come as manmade snowmaking continues in response to falling temperatures. 

Q Burke Mountain remains closed but plans to be ready for business by December 13, according to Ski Vermont’s website. 

Away from the slopes, Lyndon State’s on-campus snowmobile club is excited to see the flakes flying once again. 

Club President Anthony Macari is a big fan of the winter season because snowmobiling is his pastime.  

“It means the start of more fun, more recreation, and just getting out into the environment and being able to explore areas of this region that we don’t get to see just driving in a car or even hiking a mountain,” he explained. 

Macari says that the snowmobile club recently built a trail that will connect directly to Lyndon State’s campus. The trail is between one and two miles long and will give college riders access to a network of trails throughout Vermont. 

“The trail should be in place for this season, so that’s great news for anyone who wants to snowmobile around this area,” Macari said. “I think it might actually help the Lyndonville economy too. More people riding in the area is certainly a good thing.” 

However, the news for snow lovers isn’t all good as the winter solstice approaches. 

According to an annual report from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, the region may not see the frigid temperatures of years past this season.   

The south-central and southeastern parts of the country will likely see below-average temperatures, while the western U.S. and New England are projected to have above-average temperatures, according to a summary of the U.S. Winter Outlook. 

Despite the unfavorable forecast, Macari remains hopeful that the snow and cold will come. After all, it’s only the first week of December. 

“It’s just the start of more fun for me,” he said. 

Anyone interested in joining the snowmobile club can contact Macari via email at anthony.macari@lyndonstate.edu. 

Video Project Proposal

For our online video project, Louis and I plan to create a piece featuring different reactions to winter in Vermont. Our goal is to include several brief sound bites that represent various viewpoints, ranging from excited to disgusted.

In addition to the interview clips, we plan to use firsthand video of someone skiing, as well as other shots of the recent snow and cold weather.

We both think that this will make for an engaging segment because its relevant, applicable, and interesting to both locals and those who aren't familiar with the severity of a northern New England winter. The eclectic mix of responses will also add depth to the piece.

As far as roles are concerned, Louis will be shooting most of the video, while I plan to write the accompanying story. We will both be conducting interviews and compiling sound bites for this project.

Newspaper Video Assignment

After doing a bit of research focused on newspapers that have ventured into the realm of online video, I decided to check on the Chicago Tribune's photography and video platform. I immediately noticed that the video page, while very professional and eye-catching, was buried deep within the paper's website. I had to navigate to the bottom of the homepage sidebar and then scroll down the accompanying webpage before I reached the Tribune's video gallery.

Once there, I browsed the site and watched several clips, all of which included firsthand information and tried to tell a journalistic story. However, the Tribune's videos started and ended much more abruptly than typical news segments and often didn't follow the format of a TV news package. Instead, they featured collections of interviews, b-roll and natural sound, and even time lapses and other unique elements. The Tribune's videos also varied significantly in length, with some lasting only a few minutes and others running much longer.

Ultimately, I think the Chicago Tribune's video gallery is a neat feature that complimented some of the publication's "harder" written journalism pieces. However, it is quite difficult to navigate and many of the videos don't have enough context to an outsider like myself to have much journalistic relevance. I certainly wouldn't rely solely on this particular video gallery for my news of the day. It has a professional tone, but the content isn't substantial enough to hold my interest for a prolonged period of time. In my opinion, the Tribune's video gallery is a less engaging version of iReport. It's similar in style and approach, but lacks the content to pull a reader away from a written web story.

CNN iReport Review

Upon signing up for an account on CNN iReport, I decided to check out the website to see what it has to offer. For the most part, I was impressed by the format and structure of this rather unique multimedia storytelling platform.

I found it especially intriguing that all of the content, information, and stories featured on iReport are generated by citizen journalists from CNN's audience. In my opinion, the idea of encouraging everyday people to cover newsworthy events that were previously restricted to traditional media outlets is both organic and cutting edge. It allows viewers to feel as if they have a voice and makes them a part of a newsgathering process that has faced mounting criticism in recent years. And, most importantly, it epitomizes the cultural blending of traditional news and citizen journalism that continues to impact, change, and redirect the journalism industry as a whole.

I think that iReport is a brilliant idea in terms of increased viewership and a higher quality of journalism on the part of CNN. Many of the producer-approved clips that I watched while touring the site were both engaging and informative, such as the firsthand footage of last week's NASA rocket explosion. I also liked the fact that each story was distinctly different from a content and stylistic standpoint. From raw video to commentary to written articles, I came across a number of stories that covered everything from street harassment in New York City to the financial impact of lava flow in Hawaii.

My one criticism of iReport, and other similar websites, is the high volume of clutter that one has to sort through in order to find "the gold." Any media platform that caters to amateur input will undoubtedly yield its fair share of amateur results, which can make it difficult for users to distinguish between meaningful citizen journalism and fluff pieces that don't carry a lot of substance. Of course, this is nearly impossible to avoid in the realm of journalism through the eyes of the everyday person and is ultimately a part of the process. For what it's worth, CNN is diligent in managing the clutter through the efforts of producers who review the submissions and verify them for accuracy and clarity.

LSC immersion semester off to successful start

The first outdoor immersion program ever offered at Lyndon State is off to a successful start, according to participants from the Mountain Recreation Management Department.

The program, typically referred to as an immersion semester, was launched by Professor Ben Mirkin at the beginning of the school year.

Its goal is to provide interested students with firsthand outdoor education in the form of trip planning and lengthy wilderness expeditions.

This fall, students took three hiking trips and a canoeing trip, all of which lasted between three and 10 days. Locations included northern Maine and the Long Trail in western Vermont.

Sophomore Matt Cowley is one of about a dozen mountain recreation students participating in the school’s first immersion semester.

He says the curriculum is designed to teach students how to confidently lead groups on wilderness excursions while addressing any issues that arise along the way.

“I don’t know if I want to stick with mountain recreation too much,” Cowley explained. “But the leadership and group dynamic skills I’ve learned are transferrable to anything. I think that’s really valuable.”

The group didn’t waste any time getting started, as the first expedition began just two days after students returned from summer vacation.

In addition to outdoor training, immersion participants are required to plan logistics, gear, and food for each trip.

The focus of the program has since shifted from off-site expeditions to classroom activities because of inclement fall weather conditions. Students are now taking a wilderness first responder training course and a geology class that will satisfy a general education requirement.

Despite the unconventional structure of the program, Cowley insists that it is academically rigorous.

“It was a lot of work,” he said when asked about the expedition portion. “It wasn’t easy at all, but that’s not really a bad thing.”

Cowley believes that the program is here to stay at Lyndon State. In fact, department officials hope to make the immersion semester a regular part of the mountain recreation curriculum because of its early success.

For Cowley, the work has been challenging, but ultimately worthwhile.

“I’m proud that I was able to do it. I’m happy to be here.”