STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Woodside Senior Cameron Hibbler
Student in the Center for Arts & Communications magnet program
Posted: November 15, 2023
As a fourth grader at Saunders Elementary School, Cameron Hibbler got the opportunity to appear on the school's morning TV show. He has been either in front of or behind the camera ever since.
Now a senior in the Center for the Arts & Communications magnet program at Woodside High School, Hibbler works on all facets of making video. Though he is zoned for Denbigh High, Hibbler said that he applied to Woodside's magnet program because all of his family members attended Woodside.
"From fourth grade, I was always the talent," Hibbler said. "I wasn't really behind the scenes; but we wanted everybody to rotate positions. For people who were more comfortable behind the scenes, we wanted them to get comfortable being comfortable in front of the camera. So we would all alternate and switch.
"Ever since elementary school, I was doing the school morning show whether that be operating the camera, panning that left or right, or being the talent on the show or working with the video switcher to switch from the Pledge of Allegiance or a moment of silence with different graphics playing."
His first two years in the communications magnet program, he learned terminology, definitions and the nuts and bolts. The junior and senior years brought hands-on experience.
"Today in my class I actually produced a 10-minute TV show with a teacher," Hibbler said. "I was the director, had three people - my floor managers, someone operating two of the cameras and the host, the guest being the teacher."
Hibbler serves on the Newport News Public Schools Student Advisory Group on Education, which consists of student appointees from each high school who regularly meet with and advise the superintendent. At Woodside, he is involved with the Principal's Advisory Committee and Social Studies National Honor Society.
Hibbler plans to attend Virginia Peninsula Community College for two years and then transfer to Old Dominion University to study political science. Hibbler, who loves politics, wants to run for political office.
His training on both sides of the camera should serve him well, and he encourages other students to follow in his footsteps.
"If you're camera shy, don't let that discourage you from applying to be in Arts & Communications magnet," Hibbler said. "There is still behind the scenes stuff that can be done. There's a whole lot that goes into the communications magnet.
"The junior class makes the weekly morning show for Woodside. And you can either be the talent on the camera, be the person operating the camera or be the one back in class editing the video for the person in the hallway recording."
