“I don’t really care about having a legacy or anything but what I do want is (for) people to appreciate and remember the bulletins, not necessarily me, but the videos that I’ve made with my friends,” Reuben Maimon, a Berkeley High School junior and 25-26 Chief of Publicity said.
Maimon, along with twins Arjun and Kabir Hermon, have been busy filming and editing the BHS bulletin this past month, incorporating skits and performances in order to relay important information in funny and engaging ways.
Many high school students have a hard time simply checking their emails and staying up to date on school events and messages. What makes the bulletins an effective way to notify students are the hours spent by all three of the Chiefs of Publicity pouring effort into their craft. “I just want to put effort into the videos and make them entertaining or funny,” Maimon said.
Using funny or trending songs, dances, skits, or jokes make it easier for the Chiefs of Publicity to connect with their audience. This connection allows students to better comprehend and process the information being relayed to them.
“Something I want to keep is the hype and energy because I know (former Chiefs of Publicity) Chapy, Rey, and Andreas, they really brought this energy. You mostly hype people up, you hype up the school and you give people a reason to watch the bulletin,” Maimon said. Being able to get students excited about school spirit and school events is crucial for maintaining a strong and cohesive BHS community. “Starting off your first period, people start off the day really tired and I want to bring energy,” Maimon said, “I want the bulletins to be really positive and keep people going through their day.”
The Hermon twins also note how their role enables them to expand and develop their creative outlets, using the bulletin as a way to create new and more advanced skits and give them ideas for future projects. “I think the reason we decided to run for Chief of Publicity is because last year and freshman year we did a lot of skits for various programs, we did a lot for the drama program. I think that they were pretty well received, so we kind of thought it was only fitting to run for (Chief of) Publicity,” Kabir Hermon said.
Compared to last year, the 25-26 Chiefs of Publicity want to focus more on skits, characters, and performances. They argue that delivering school information through stories that the students can stay invested in will help engagement. “We’re definitely changing it by incorporating a lot of skits and costumes and all sorts of effects like sets that weren’t there before just to make it a lot more entertaining,” Arjun Hermon said, “The first bulletin we did, we spent an hour writing the script and then probably the rest of the day to film it and edit it, it takes a lot of time and effort but it’s very fun (and) very rewarding.”