By Sue Wambolt, Contributing Writer
Northborough – As a way to leave a lasting impression on Algonquin Regional High School (ARHS) when they graduate, seniors Jake Briggs, Domenic Cianci and Nicolette San Clemente created “Showcasing Algonquin,” a video highlighting the school and the ‘building champions’ mantra it promotes. Inspired by the vision of Principal Tom Mead, the video was created for a Business Research and Applications class and served as the students’ submission in the Massachusetts State Career Development Conference DECA competition which took place March 12-14. It will be used as a promotional tool for the school as well.
While the school website currently features photos and videos of student life and activities at ARHS, Mead noted, “We have a growing interest in producing and directing video, and we are making progress thanks to advances in film/video technology coupled with the falling prices of a competitive market.”
“ARHS was previously known for having the widely renowned Lip Dub video, and we knew that would be hard to top,” said Briggs.
“Algonquin is a community and promoting it is very difficult. But, given both the academic and athletic success of the school, we knew that it was worth our efforts,” he added. “On and off the field we stick together as one school – and we wanted to showcase this.”
Filming of “Showcasing Algonquin” began in October with aerial footage of the school shot by Mike Davis, an employee of Northborough Cable Access Television which is located in the school. Davis used a DJI Phantom drone to film the school and grounds. For the next three months, Briggs, Cianci and San Clemente collected sports clips showcasing T-Hawk pride to supplement the aerial footage. After an additional month (in class time hours) of editing, the video was completed.
“We are currently on task to get the video as much exposure as possible,” said Briggs. “One of our main goals is to get ‘Showcase Algonquin’ surfacing in surrounding towns. We feel this will bring the greatest success to the video.”
“Showcasing Algonquin” is currently being promoted through social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter as well as through YouTube and the ARHS website. The YouTube video has garnished more than 5,460 views since it was posted on Feb. 23.
“The video is gaining viewership,” said Briggs. “We are hoping that when someone searches Algonquin online this video is the first thing they will see.”
As Briggs prepares for graduation and life beyond ARHS, he reflects with fondness on his four years at “The Gonk.”
“Over the four years I have met a lot of people and experienced many outstanding things. There is a sense of community here that I won’t forget and which has made coming to school easy,” he shared. “I will miss going to sporting events and being part of T-Hawk Nation. Most of all, though, I will miss the people I see every day – from my teachers to my friends to my peers. Even though I will be graduating, I truly believe in the adage ‘once a T-Hawk always a T-Hawk’.”
To view the video go to Youtube.com and put in “Showcasing Algonquin” in the search bar. “Showcase Algonquin” can also be found on Twitter @THawktweets, @SMACKHigh, @ARHSHarby, @gonk_news and @Mass_DECA.