Submitted by Anna Biondi.
Students at HKHS will be presenting the 31st annual Holiday Show. The live telethon will debut on Dec. 20, 2019. They will be raising money for a non-profit organization called A Little Compassion Inc.
The Holiday Show, in its entirety, is a student-run event. Those involved in the video classes at the school are in charge of making the videos, being the on-air hosts, answering the phones, manning the technical aspects of the show (lighting, camera, and switch board) and even directing the show.
Devin Gallant, senior at HKHS, has been involved with the HKTV program since her freshman year. “The Holiday Show is probably the largest production in our area,” she said.“It never stops being exciting and gratifying to run a live telethon for a good cause.”
This year the HKTV classes have a new teacher, Kasha Topa-Finberg. In her first year working at HK in 2018, she was the library assistant at the high school last year. She has had previous experience in the communications field working at ESPN for 10 years.
“I absolutely love it,” said Topa about her new role in the HKTV program. “I get to work with students who are interested in the media world. I get to share my knowledge with them and it’s rewarding to see students communicate their voice to the world through video production.”
There is a process to choosing a beneficiary, which involves candidates coming in during a class period and give presentations to the students about their foundation. “HKTV students made the final decision on this year’s holiday show beneficiary. It was clear to the students that A Little Compassion needed us in the moment and their mission was a perfect fit this year,” said Topa.
Every year, the Holiday Show gets publicity from the local news stations and even has received some special guest appearances. That includes Channel 3 meteorologist Scott Haney in 2016 and HK alumni and current model Camille Kostek in 2017. The show has built a name for itself through the years and has become a holiday tradition throughout the community.
The Holiday Show will broadcast live to the HK community and other surrounding towns on the Shoreline on Friday, Dec 20, 2019 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. For more information or to donate, go to holidayshow.rsd17.org.
To read more about The Nest Coffee House, see this article.
