DIGITAL AND INTERACTIVE MEDIA: Lucas Anson
If someone were to tune into Miami Palmetto Senior High’s morning announcements, they might see the proud face of senior Lucas Anson. Anson, the executive producer of Panther Television Production, is MPSH’s Silver Knight Digital and Interactive Media nominee.
“Digital and Interactive Media as a Silver Knight category pertains to service projects within the community that use some kind of digital interface or multifaceted website, or anything of that sort that helps serve the community,” Anson said.
As a Silver Knight nominee, Anson was required to have a community service project. However, instead of starting a foundation or nonprofit like other nominees, he decided to focus on something a little more close to home. Any MPSH student who enjoys yearly events like Mr. Panther or Teacher Trivia can thank Anson, as he runs both.
“So, my project is the work I do within TVP. I lead and produce Mr. Panther and Teacher Trivia, the two events that Television Production here at Palmetto produces. Mr. Panther, we sell out every year, it’s a holistic talent competition between boys at Palmetto, and it’s the biggest event at Palmetto by attendance,” Anson said. “We also have our new show, Teacher Trivia, that I created. This would be the third year, and it’s getting better every year. It’s a trivia competition between teachers of all grades.”
With both of these shows, Anson hopes to bring the student body together and help display all of the things that make MPSH great. However, putting on these events is not easy, and he acknowledges all of the efforts that it takes for them to be as successful as they are.
“Our work with Mr. Panther and Teacher Trivia begins months before the actual show. There is a very long recruiting and casting process, and I have to manage a team of about 22 [people] to produce all of these videos, segments and ads leading up to all of this. So, it is quite a bit of work, and it can be quite tedious at times, but ultimately it does pay off,” Anson said. “When I get to the show, and we start the countdown, and I see everybody’s face light up as each boy pops on [the stage], it makes it all worth it.”
Anson feels that much of his support came from Activities Director Elizabeth Valero. Since she is the person in charge of TVP, he has been working under her for years and believes that she was a major influence in both his nomination and his success in the TVP program.
“[Mrs. Valero] makes all of this possible, and I hope to make her dream a reality, but she supports me unconditionally throughout the entire planning process,” Anson said.
Very few students feel as much pride in MPSH as Anson does. Even fewer have shown as much commitment to the broadcast arts as he has. Combining these two traits, Anson’s work has led to off-the-charts school spirit, and he hopes that once he graduates, TVP and the two huge events it runs will be left in the proper care of Valero and the rest of the Television Production team.
DRAMA: Sofia Arnau
Whether helping performers shine on stage from the tech booth or aiding students in the search for sustainability within their career, Miami Palmetto Senior High senior Sofia Arnau has used her passion for supporting others’ passions to become the Silver Knight Drama nominee.
Arnau took around seven years of dedication, activism and research to find a career combining her love for business and her calling to continue pursuing environmentalism. Realizing through the inspirational speakers and trailblazers she encountered that not only one but countless niche and unknown jobs connecting both her passions exist, she was determined to spread the news.
“My Silver Knight project is called TerraServe, and it is an environmental nonprofit that is meant to educate students and anyone joining the workforce about the possibilities of different sustainable careers,” Arnau said. “My main goal is to inspire people to find balance between their academic goals and their love for sustainability so they can find the perfect career for them.”
Starting through social media with an Instagram account to spread environmental news, TerraServe has grown into a successful nonprofit featuring workshops, events and much more.
“We started by doing a little bit of content [on Instagram], just general green environmental news to kind of build us up in the community,” Arnau said. “Today, we’ve done a few in-person workshops, we’ve done a few virtual workshops and we’re planning a big Eco-Fair event at MPSH for Earth Day.”
After much encouragement from friends such as former Silver Knight nominee for Drama Sofia Sierra, Arnau was inspired to harness her accomplishments and success with TerraServe to apply for the Silver Knight nomination.
“I had never really heard of [Silver Knight] until, like, two years ago, and one of my closest friends, Sofia Sierra, was the Drama nominee before me last year. She always told me while she was applying ‘Sofi you’d be perfect for this,’” Arnau said. “With all the community service that I do, I really thought I would be a good nominee.”
From her presentation skills down to her outfits, Arnau cites her experience in drama and technical theater as a huge help in developing TerraServe. Teaching her the basics of design, public speaking, marketing and more, her role in the class has given her invaluable expertise on almost everything it takes to oversee, advertise and grow the nonprofit.
“You would never really think a technical theater class would help you with an environmental project, but it really has,” Arnau said.
After graduation, Arnau hopes to pass down the Miami, Fla. chapter of TerraServe to the next generation of MPSH students and plans to stay involved in both the nonprofit and technical theater in college.
