Covering Inauguration : Students Chilled by Big-Time Assignment

The excitement of reporting big-time news fell as low as the mercury for six Valley high school students sent to cover President Reagan’s inauguration in Washington.

“Every time we go outside, I have to run back into the car after a few minutes,” said Lisa Hamilton from the safety of her hotel room Monday. “My fingertips hurt, my toes hurt, my face hurts.”

The government students at Los Angeles Baptist High School in Sepulveda, who planned to produce a campus video news show on the inauguration activities, were suffering the same disappointment as thousands of high school band members.

The students, one of two high school groups in the nation to seek and receive media credentials for the 50th inaugural ceremonies, said the weather-prompted change in plans has had a chilling effect on their plans.

“Everything has been a mess because things have been canceled and it’s so cold,” said Glen Schaumloeffel, who had been designated as the reporter for Monday’s festivities. “The inaugural ceremony and parade was the primary reason we came.”

The students had big plans of setting up their rented video equipment Monday morning on the west steps of the Capitol and recording the swearing-in for their student news show. They had also planned to conduct “running commentaries” during the inaugural parade, setting up their camera alongside scores of professional reporters and photographers.

Instead, with the swearing-in turned into a small, indoor ceremony and the parade canceled, they said they huddled inside a rented car, dashing outside for five-minute intervals to do “stand-up commentaries” summarizing the mood in the capital. The one event left for them to cover Monday was the inaugural ball for youths.

As part of their government class, the students regularly videotape a current-events news program that is shown in Baptist High classrooms.

If they learned anything on this trip, it is the pain of working in the East during the winter.

Student Kim Masters, who woke up with a cough and a fever Monday morning and had to sit the day out in her motel room, said she felt her cold coming on Friday, her first night out in the frigid air.

“It really hurts to breathe out there,” she said. “I’m afraid I’ll get worse if I breathe it again.”

But the group said they are determined that their student show go on.

“The cancellations dampened our expectations, but it’s still exciting to be here and interview people about their feelings surrounding the inauguration,” Patrice Tichian said. “Besides, there’s no standing around out here and doing nothing in this weather.”