Students give back to the community one film at a time

For two decades the Dartmouth community has worked together to collect and donate toys for kids and families in need in the Fill-the-bus fundraiser, but it wasn’t until three years ago that media students from Dartmouth High School began hosting the now annual telethon.

“The telethon is a really great fundraiser for families or children in need of Christmas gifts or anything this time of year because this time of year is really all about giving and giving back to your community,” senior Ella Gates said.

Media teacher Robert Perrotti explained that his students begin planning for the telethon at the beginning of the school year, as it has morphed into the big community service project they do every year.

Peter Chasse, director of media for DCTV explained that they came up with the telethon as a way to raise funds to buy gift cards or toys that older kids would want.

“When people donate toys, they donate for a five-year-old, seven-year-old, 10-year-old,” he said. “They’re not really thinking of 13, 14, 15-year-old children.”

There will be a couple dozen short films shown this year, ranging from stop motion to animation, that are holiday and Christmas themed.

“It’s going to be really exciting to see what these kids have created and what they’ve worked so hard towards,” Perrotti said.

Gates said that the opportunity to air the films they make in class give students a chance to use their creative minds and share them with the world.

“I think it’s going to be great to see every little voice or every little fun thing that classmates put together and show it out and into the world,” she said.

For Gates, who has participated in the telethon since her freshman year at Dartmouth High School the project will also be something she can look back on.

“You can look back on it in like 10 years later and realize, ‘Oh, yeah, I did that, and I’m very happy I did it, and I’m very happy you get to look at it,’” she said.

In addition to showing the films they made in class, students will be holding live interviews, speaking with town officials and people they’re able to pull in on-site.

During the telethon the students will produce the show and host the interviews while Chasse and his team works behind the scenes.

“It’s been a collaborative from the first year,” Chasse said.

For the first time, middle school students will participate in the telethon, as Perrotti looks to incorporate more students into the project.

“They’re very excited for it as well, so it’s good to get the younger kids involved too,” he said.

Gates and classmates Landon Almeida and Noah Clark will be three of five students hosting the telethon, which is taking place on Saturday, Dec. 13.

This will be Almeida’s third year participating and his first hosting.

“I did behind the scenes for the first two years, so it’s exciting to take over the job,” he said.

Gates, who has been a part of the telethon since her freshman year said she’s “excited to end it off.”

“It's going to be awesome. I know it will be,” she said.