The choice to become a host on Eagle TV (ETV), was an easy one for senior Kurtis Parr. After spending his freshman and sophomore years looking up to hosts such as Drake Roby, Garrett Domier and Dylan Field, he knew it was a perfect fit for him.

“If you have the desire to be a host, it’s because you saw others who did it and wanted to be like them,” Parr said.

During his junior year, Parr mustered up the courage to email Director of Broadcast Journalism  Mr. Higgins and ask to join the team. He hosted two shows before his junior year came to a close. Once the spark was ignited, Parr did everything he could to secure a permanent spot on the ETV schedule.

“Over summer I went to different camps for broadcast journalism and then entering senior year I was offered a spot in the broadcast journalism honors class,” Parr said.

After some time in the class, Parr knew he had entered a family. He felt the tight-knit community after coming into the studio every morning to see the familiar faces of the ETV staff. His peers worked together and supported each other in order to produce the best show possible.

“Everyone knows their position and they know what they’re supposed to do,” Parr said “It’s very much like a family.”

Parr quickly learned the necessity of a reliable crew to the fast-paced environment of producing a news show. Every show broadcasts live–adding pressure on the staff on and off the camera. When the teleprompter stops working, hosts need to work together and ad-lib their lines to keep the show going. If there is a sound issue during the show, the off-camera staff works frantically to resolve the issue. Parr prepares to step up to future challenges and looks forward to improving his quick thinking.

“I am thankful for the fast-paced environment because I love adrenaline. On those live shows when something goes wrong, you’ve got to think on your feet–that gets the adrenaline flowing,” Parr said.

Being a part of the class consists of a lot more than sitting in front of the camera. Parr creates segments to play during the shows. The ideas, filming and editing are all done by Parr either with a group or by himself. Sometimes an idea surfaces in the middle of the class and the students decide to film and edit an entire segment in one day. Learning to roll with the punches and think on your feet has been crucial to Parr’s success.

Parr enjoys creating segments because it helps him engage with the larger student body. One of his favorite segments is “Fuze vs Cactus Cooler”. He went out and asked his peers to sample the sodas Fuze and Cactus Cooler than share their favorite choice. While it seems like a simple concept it was an opportunity for Parr to increase student interest and involvement in the show.

“Feedback from students is a big drive for me to make good content because they’re the people I’m producing for,” Parr said.

As Parr begins the college application process and applies for a communications major at a few colleges, he looks forward to the chance to enter the broadcasting world. Using the drive and self-starting aspects he has learned from ETV, Parr has the skills necessary to thrive in college and beyond.

“Once you put yourself out there, it’s an awesome experience, it’s something I will never regret and  something that I will look back on as an incredible thing that I did,” Parr said “There’s literally nothing bad about joining this class, it’s just the most ridiculous amount of fun you’ve ever had.”