Hidden among a locker bay on the second floor, the ITTV studio stood still. The lights were off, except for one- the bright blue light of a computer. There, a student sat and edited a segment to be used for the next showing of the school video announcements.

Nobert Otieno (11) was one of many ITTV news anchors and editors, but that was not his only talent. Besides anchoring, Otieno animated, filmed and edited videos, took photos and even owned a drone piloting license to film bird’s eye videos of his backyard and Kenosha itself.

“My current project is a short film with people in Oakland, WI,” Otieno said. “The film is about two people going through the five stages of grief over the loss of a friend. The deceased friend is still there, but he’s in the form of a spirit, guiding them to acceptance. When we’re done, it’ll probably get released around 2022.”

As a student of the Communications Academy, Otieno was taught a lot about various Adobe products and how to work acamera, but there were other things that Otieno needed to perfect his craft; actual communication skills.

“[Taking photos and filming] has taught me a lot about being patient and waiting for the perfect moment, along with learning about how to reach out to people and taking control over most situations,” Otieno said. “Due to COVID, I wasn’t able to really reach out and meet as person’, so I really had to learn a lot more and improve my leadership and talking skills.”

Not only had Otieno entertained the student body with his production skills, the staff was equally challenged.

“[Nobi] makes me want to be a better teacher since he’s so eager to learn,” ITTV adviser Jane Rider said. “He’s really restored my faith in the capability of today’s teenagers’ work ethic. In my eyes, if you give a student various opportunities to explore their craft, they’ll pursue them. He constantly keeps me on my toes because he keeps pushing forward, so I have to keep the standards high.”