San Benito High School Counselor Tim Pipes is working on a
documentary film project following the lives of four freshmen
through their first year in order to capture the experience.
Hollister – San Benito High School Counselor Tim Pipes is working on a documentary film project following the lives of four freshmen through their first year in order to capture the experience.
Pipes decided to do the documentary project in order to fulfill his school-mandated professional development requirement and to learn more about the kinds of experiences freshmen have during their first year of school, which he believes is an important developmental time for students. He will also be looking into how the freshman year experience has changed over the last four or five decades.
“(The first year) is really the cusp – where students go from childhood into their teenage years – they become truly social creatures freshman year,” he said.
The film project, which Pipes started this year on the first day of school, will take about two years to complete – one year for filming and another for editing – and will eventually be shown at the high school, Pipes said.
“I’m not Steven Spielberg or George Lucas, but hopefully I’ll have a project worth showing in two years,” Pipes said. “I’ve dabbled in home videos – you can only make so many videos of family vacations and birthdays – and I just decided to take it to the next level.”
Pipes, who is funding the not-for-profit project himself, juggles his extensive filming schedule with his daily work as a school counselor, helping students with school and family problems and to prepare for college. His four subjects – Lauren Adamek, George Coelho, Todd Pivetti and Kelsey Russell – were recommended by middle school guidance counselors who thought the students would be interesting to follow, Pipes said.
Although the documentary will focus on the lives of the four freshmen students, Pipes is also hoping to interview older people who have had interesting or pivotal experiences during their freshman year of high school, regardless of whether they attended San Benito High School or not. He is especially looking forward to talking with senior citizens, he said. Documenting older people’s experiences will help Pipes focus on how the freshmen experience has changed over the last 40 or 50 years, he said.
Before beginning his project, Pipes sat down for long conversations with the students and their families to explain just what the film would require of them. And the requirements were considerable. Pipes films his four subjects in class, at home, in interview sessions and during their extracurricular activities and he even interviews their parents.
Pipes has already shot more than eight hours worth of unedited film during the first few weeks of school. On Thursday he trained his camera on Adamek talking with her friends and eating lunch near Baler Alley.
“It’s kind of awkward because I’ve never done this before,” Adamek said. “But, I think this will be a good experience.”
Her freshman year, including frequent filming activities, has been fun, she said.
“It’s been going really good so far,” she said. “I have straight ‘A’s and a lot of new friends.”
Being filmed has become an ordinary activity for Adamek, who shows no signs of being camera-shy. She appeared to be at ease while the camera was rolling on Thursday, rarely even glancing at Pipes or camera. Adamek and her friends, who have also become accustomed to the camera, went about their usual lunchtime activities.
Both Adamek and Pipes have learned something from the experience. Adamek said she has learned a lot about patience as well as the film-making process. Pipes, on the other hand, has learned a great deal not only about freshman, but also about filming.
“I’m also learning so much about what makes a good shot and certainly what makes a bad shot.”
For Pipes, the project is an experiment. He knows that this documentary may not turn out the way he has intended.
“Unless I get a good majority of thumbs up (from colleagues), this will never see the light of day,” he said.
Pipes is encouraging those interested in sharing their high school experiences to e-mail him at
tp*****@co*****.net
Brett Rowland covers education for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or
br******@fr***********.com
.
