Students at Berkeley High School benefit from a wide variety of resources curated by our director of student activities, John Villavicencio, including student leadership, school-led events, and tri-weekly video bulletins. As director of student activities, Villavicencio, facilitates student leadership across all grade levels, organizes student events, and helps produce the bulletins that BHS students enjoy. He described his role as overseeing student activities from the first day to the last day that students are on campus. However, oftentimes, the behind-the-scenes work that makes these resources available goes unseen and even overlooked.
Mr V. began his career at BHS teaching math. The transition to his current position began when he started working with the previous director of student activities, Chris Young, on events like the talent show, multicultural assembly, and spirit week. In 2012, when Young left, Mr V. eagerly took on his role. According to Villavicencio, he likes the collaborative and energetic nature of his job compared to teaching math. “I feel like we're putting on something that is to the benefit of the school and sometimes to the larger community, and trying to create positive energy around campus,” Villavicencio added.
In 2021, Villavicencio began producing weekly bulletins, featuring everything from school news to new student clubs to local opportunities for students with the help of student-elected Chiefs of Publicity. He produces the bulletin by sending the chiefs a few generic scripts covering the announcements that will appear in the upcoming video and they translate it into whatever creative vision the student publicists have for how to share it. Before every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Mr V. compiles together these skits, along with any student submissions, into a roughly three minute long video. He edits the clips for brevity, adds intro and outro music, and even appears himself in a few skits when necessary.
Over the years, the role has grown to be more theatrical, with student publicists devising creative and outside-of-the-box skits. When discussing past Chiefs and the evolution of the role Villavicencio said, “I think it's definitely a personality thing.” He recalled how last year’s Chapy and Rey would play underground rap for the outros. “Not even, like, Mike Sherm, just like, Lil-Sherm. Way, way underground," he said. He also mentioned how during that same time, “Andreas was into trick shocks and different things.” This year’s Chiefs, he said, “Are in a film class so they work on transitions.” Overall, he echoed the sentiment that every group of chiefs has been unique and talented in their own ways..
Looking forward, Mr V. said, “We can always do more. You just run out of time and resources to do stuff…The bulletin is one way we can make the big school feel smaller.”