Students have a set schedule of how they like to spend their mornings at Huntley High school, communicating with friends, finding out what homework was due that day, or just scrolling on their cell phones. But a question is asked by Dr. Belin, the principal of Huntley High school, and Mr. Allen, a math teacher, who is always ready to make students cheerful for the rest of the school day. The question is “What’s good in the last 24 [hours]? ” But one no really knows who is behind the camera and editing. That girl is Isabel Hernandez.
Junior Isabel has been editing videos since she was in 5th grade. She started a YouTube account with one of her friends and grew from there. Her past gave her insight into how to edit videos, which began to help her in the present.
“I only know how to edit because, in 5th grade, I and my friend made a YouTube channel,” Isabel said. “And we would edit all the time, we were consumed by it.”
According to Isabel it usually takes her one or two hours to edit a “What’s good in the last 24?” video.
Isabel is a hardworking, devoted and enthusiastic person. With the school year taking its toll, Isabel admits that at some points it has been challenging to keep up with the edits. But there is no pressure at all, from any of her peers, to overwork herself or spend unnecessary time editing the videos.
“Yes, she is a very hard-working student,” Mr. Allen said. “Isabel found out that good balance of how to make the videos fun and entertaining but hopefully not spending more time than she has. So I think she maxes out whatever time she has in a very efficient way.”
Because of this newfound activity, Isabel and Mr. Allen have established a friendship and a partnership. The TikTok videos have given them a way to build off each other’s ideas, but at the same time giving them a way to build on their already found relationship.
“We kind a very much like a professional relationship, like bouncing ideas off each other,” Mr. Allen stated. “And that’s something I think I love about teaching high school is that you get kids that are very much adult and mature in the way that they think or the way that they operate.”
Isabel and Mr. Allen are both glad that these videos are having a positive impact on Huntley High school students. Because it helps students ponder more about the positives in their day.
“The whole goal of this is to be thinking about, looking for a positive thing. When you scan for positives, that’s what puts you in this like positive mindset, which helps you perform at a higher level,” Mr. Allen said.