Making (Radio) Waves
Thoreau students hope to attend conference

Thoreau High School journalism students Janie shorty, left, and Tamara Hopkins are producing radio documentaries that deal with issues facing youth in their communities and are trying to raise $4,000 to attend a radio training project in Baltimore. (Photo by Jeff Jones/Independent)

By Bill Donovan
Staff Writer

THOREAU — Three local students will put the spotlight on Thoreau and local sports and culture at a national youth radio conference in Baltimore this spring.

That is if they can raise the $4,000 they need to pay for the trip.

Tamara Hopkins, Jesus Quinones and Janie Shorty are students at Thoreau High who have been participating in probably the biggest challenge of their lives coming up with a 20-minute radio documentary that is not only educational but interesting enough to keep its audience attention.

The challenge has already led one of the students Hopkins to travel to Los Angeles to talk to four members of the WNBA's Sparks about making that jump from high school sports to the collegiate and professional levels.

A basketball player herself, she looked at the importance placed on high school sports in this area with the reality that there are few Native Americans playing college basketball and virtually none in the NBA or WNBA.

"It's been a lot of work," she said Friday, pointing out that she has spent much of her time during the past two years on the project.

She is the only one of the three that has the job completed. The other two are still in script or post production stages.

Quinones is working on a documentary about his family, which is originally from El Paso, and their involvement with baseball a history that spans two countries and two distinct styles of the sport.

His father, who immigrated from the Mexican state of Chihuahua, played minor league baseball in his youth. His son now dreams of one day becoming a professional baseball player and using some of his money to support his family who have worked so hard to provide him with that opportunity.

But he also worries about the lack of opportunities to make that dream a reality in a small town like Thoreau.

"Tamara's and Jesus' projects examine something that is lauded by our schools and communities, but they also delve into the discrepancy between students' expectations and the reality that few people are able to reach that higher level of the sport," said project leader Autumn Spanne.

Spanne started working with the students when she taught at Thoreau Middle School and encouraged them to give voice to their lives by doing radio documentaries that would explore some of the questions that have intrigue them in their high school careers.

It was because of this desire to explore one's world that got Janie Shorty interested in her project to what extent are Navajo youth retaining their traditions and culture.

So far, she has interviewed three generations of her mother's family about their experiences with government institutions that broke important cultural bonds. She then interviewed several of her peers to talk about how popular culture influences the way young Navajos feel about their traditions.

Spanne, a graduate of Columbia University's School of Journalism, said she decided to implement the project as a way to provide them with an opportunity for positive self-expression.

"My students rarely see their communities and culture featured in the mainstream media," she said.

She said she has worked with kids in urban areas who have experienced the ability to have their voices heard. "We desperately need the same thing here ...," she said.

All three documentaries are scheduled to be completed by April when they are hoping to leave for Baltimore to attend that conference where they will be given a chance to have a national listenership.

"It has been a long road, with several setbacks along the way," said Spanne. "But I expected that. We live in a rural area with limited infrastructure for this type of program. When you're starting from stretch, you're bound to encounter some bumps in the road."

The biggest bump is finding the funds to make the trip since the school has no funds of its own.

So Spanne and the students have begun raising the funds, hosting bingo and selling tamales. So far they have raised $1,000 and Spanne said she is confident that the students will be making the trip.

"We'll be going even if I have to put the charges on my credit card," she said.

The school has set up an account at the First Financial Credit Union for anyone who wants to donate to the project. Donations can be made to account number 86019025.

— Bill Donovan can be reached on his cell phone (505-870-2135) or through e-mail at indiantrader2001@yahoo.com