‘High School High Lites’ Gives Teen-Agers Taste of Broadcast News : Education: Antelope Valley Union district students create own monthly news program.

This isn’t as much fun as it looked, thought Ceylonya Barrett. It was actually nerve-racking.

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Before her night in front of the camera was over, she would flub a few names, apologize to a teacher and pray for the time to pass quickly so she could go home, back to the real world.

Barrett, an Antelope Valley High School senior, and other students are getting a taste of broadcast news working as reporters and anchors for “High School High Lites,” a monthly news program produced by students from the five high schools in the Antelope Valley Union High School District.

The show, which began in February, airs at 4:30 p.m. the third Thursday and Sunday of every month on Channel 3. It is produced by Jones Intercable, an advertiser-supported channel in Palmdale that reaches 68,000 viewers.

Each month, one of the district’s five high schools is designated as the host school for the program, and an anchor is selected from that school. The other campuses are responsible for a five-minute news segment, and a student from each school is chosen to introduce the segment.

During a recent taping, the Jones Intercable production staff gave the students emotional, as well as technical, support. “You’ll want your chair facing the camera,” said Wendy Randall, the floor manager, to Barrett, the anchor. “And don’t move your chair back and forth.”

Barrett, who had been gently but nervously rocking back and forth, tried to calm down and prepared to introduce a reporter with a story on a video yearbook.

A minute later, Randall, who also works for Jones as a news reporter and producer, complimented Barrett on her fuchsia lipstick.

With that, the tension melted and Barrett smiled and relaxed. A little.

“I’m nervous,” said Staci Haight, a senior at Quartz Hill High. She anxiously pulled on her houndstooth vest and adjusted her skirt for the 50th time. When she read a story off the TelePrompTer about multicultural week during the run-through, she did not blink.

“This is the first time most of these kids have seen a TelePrompTer,” said Patricia Fregoso, programming manager at Jones Intercable.

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“We give them a lot of rules and a lot of directions,” she said. “But our last words are ‘Have fun.’ ” The taping was attended by teachers who serve as coordinators at each of the high schools, stage parents, an assorted friend or two and the crew. The students waited in the darkened studio for their turn in front of the camera. One student was bent over, reading his script silently. Another paced. Meanwhile, a blond boy with a wild print shirt and tie got some last-minute advice from Jim Gardner, a Palmdale High School teacher.

Most of the teachers have worked with their students in producing the yearbook or the campus newspaper. They were used to filling pages, but had no idea how to fill air time.

Gardner said the staff at Jones Intercable had done a lot to help the students feel at ease. “I’m learning, they’re learning,” he said.

Bob Sanchez, assistant superintendent of the high school district, said Jones Intercable came up with the idea. “Actually,” he said, “Jones did all the work.”

“We didn’t have a program that targets the high schools,” Fregoso said. “We have a cable in the classroom service that provides them with The Discovery Channel and Arts & Entertainment Network for free, and we sponsored a youth achievement award, but we realized we were not offering them any involvement in community television.

“We thought, ‘what can we do to get stories out about the good things that are happening on the high school campuses?’ ”

So the company presented the idea to the high school district’s board of trustees and to the high schools’ principals.

Everyone agreed that it was a good idea. But the timing was lousy.

During the 1992-93 school year, the district had cut salaries, spending and about 140 employees. There was no way the district could afford the cost.

Fregoso approached Gregg Anderson, a general partner of Rancho Vista Development Co. in Palmdale. Anderson offered to co-sponsor the project by donating $3,750 for the teachers’ stipends, which came out to $750 per teacher.

“We like to support the school district,” said Anderson, who described himself as a frustrated journalist.

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When it comes time to make a decision about sponsoring the program next year, Anderson said a lot will depend on how enthusiastic the schools are and the degree of response from parents. But so far, Anderson is impressed.

“Getting that kind of experience is great for the kids,” Anderson said. “I’m surprised at how mature they are. They seem to really know what they are doing. They are excited, they come in prepared, they don’t seem real nervous, just professional and mature.”

According to Fregoso, the five programs that the students have done this semester --including May’s show, yet to be taped--includes production, staff support, air time and editing and has cost $17,000. Jones Intercable has picked up the tab.

Fregoso said the Jones Intercable professionals take a hands-off approach to working with the students. However, while the schools all had journalism programs, the broadcast news format was alien to the teachers who coordinated the segments.

“The first couple of shows were really challenging,” Fregoso said. “And at first, they thought, ‘We can’t do anything in five minutes.’ ” But with each taping, the students and faculty gain more experience.”

The program’s future depends on whether the district can get another sponsor for the next school year. If it continues, Fregoso said the show will become more ambitious.

“We want to expand the production, to enable students to gain some technical experience, to work as floor managers, do lighting, even some editing,” Fregoso said.

The stories vary.

The reporter from Littlerock High School introduced clips from a student-produced documentary on the Holocaust. The news at Palmdale High School was on “Death on Destiny,” a murder-mystery dinner theater show performed by students in the school’s cafeteria.

Highland High School student Patty Akazawa introduced a segment on the top five excuses that students use for being AWOL and a video itemizing the cost of the prom this year (grand total for a couple was $998).

Haight, the Quartz Hill student, said that reading news in front of a camera was something she had wanted to do for a long time.

“Last year, there was nothing for us in terms of practical experience for broadcast. I always wanted to do broadcast,” she said.

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After graduating in June, Haight plans to attend Antelope Valley College, eventually work for a newspaper and pursue broadcast journalism.

“I like to write, but there is an appeal (for) the camera. You can get the news out faster,” Haight said.

She is thinking ahead. “Kelly Lange is getting older. I want her job,” Haight said, smiling.