On Friday, April 26th, Neuqua Valley High School is opening its doors to over thirty high schools for the 31st annual Midwest Media Educators Association (MMEA) Highschool Video Festival. Along with MMEA awards, the Chicago/Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) will also be here to present the Student Production Award. NATAS is a national organization with local chapters all over the country. It distributes awards for achievements in television, the most well-known award being The Emmys. NATAS does not only focus on television at the professional level, it also dedicates itself to recognizing aspirational students with talent and interest through scholarships and awards.
The same can be said for Neuqua’s media department. With courses available to all levels of students, Neuqua can foster many creatives’ pursuits in television. So it is of no surprise when two NATAS Student Production Award nominations are earned by Neuqua students.
Neuqua’s student news broadcast “Wildcat Weekly” has received a nomination in the Magazine Program category. This is not the first time the hard work and dedication of the “Wildcat Weekly” staff has been recognized by NATAS. Over the years, they have achieved four NATAS awards, the most recent one being last year. “Wildcat Weekly” has been a cherished part of Neuqua for 23 years that curates not only school news but also a student’s interest in journalism.
“Every weekend morning, Saturday and Sunday, are spent watching ESPN at my house, ever since I can remember,” says Coordinating Producer of “Wildcat Weekly” Sienna Mceneaney, “Watching ESPN I knew that I wanted to be a broadcast journalist, especially in sports as a female, I’ve always known that I wanted to be a Sports journalist.”
The second NATAS Award nomination was received by Jayden Adkins for his short film “ ‘This is America’ Game Show PSA” in the Public Service Announcements category. Adkins has produced a variety of short films, music videos, and promotions. His YouTube channel “notsoaverageaudiencestudios” is a collection of his work, both personal projects and Neuqua-related assignments (“Wildcat Weekly”, “NV Pulse”, and more). In October 2023, he won an Award for Achievement in Cinematic Arts and the People’s Choice Award from a Halloween Student Silent Film Festival for his silent film “Hiding in Plain Sight”. In 2024, this film also received the 2nd Place Award and Audience Award from the Screen Test Local Festival and was a Finalist in the Screen Test Student Festival International High School Competition.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been obsessed with films and TV,” says Adkins, “It was really the way I bonded with people growing up, friends and family, through movie nights. And, so, I want to be able to move people and affect them the way those films affected me.”
These nominations attest to the passion and ambition of Neuqua students in their pursuit of television and film.
