My name is Kendra Hacker. I am the host and writer of the St. John School News and a junior at St. John High School. At school, I have participated in sports such as Cross Country, Volleyball, Basketball, Track, and Golf. I am also in several clubs and commitees. I am the secretary of the Student Council, the historian of the Family Career Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), the World Representative of the Kayettes, Prom Committees, and Scholars' Bowl.
I have been the St. John School News host for almost two years now here at Sandyland. Last year, I worked alone and ran the show by myself, with some help from Mr. Culbert, of course. This year, I was joined by Brandon Clark, a fellow junior, and Brady Kuhn, a senior. Brandon was the sports anchor and the food critic for the show, but after the first semester, Brandon transfered schools and now goes to Macksville school. Brady Kuhn is the technical advisor and the web designer for the show and has been a lot of help.
In my personal opinion, to be a good host, you must be outgoing and not afraid to make mistakes and just have fun. Most people get very nervous when in front of the camera. They are afraid to mess up or say something wrong, but what they don't know is that they are just talking to camera and if they mess up it is edited (or fixed). You must also be able to talk to people. In this past year, I have had about seven interviews and I have gotten better with my talking skills everytime.
To be a good writer, you have be hard-working (to look up facts and information) and creative (to make it interesting and fun). Also, in writing a good interview, you must stay away from "yes or no" questions. You need to ask questions that the person being interviewed will have a lot to say about, it makes for much better interview.
Working here at Sandyland has been a lot of fun with lots of work, but mostly fun. Its a great experience and if you are interested you can talk to me or come to the Sandyland Shepherd Center.
