News

MIHS.TV wins big in annual Intercollegiate Broadcasting Systems Annual Conference

In the 2024 Intercollegiate Broadcasting System Awards, the MIHS.TV staff and "The Current" took home Best Newscast honors from entries across the nation. Additionally, their instructor / advisor, Mr. Ketchum took home top advisor in the country for high school television media programs.

“I am very proud of the media students and how much they've accomplished in such a short time. All while having an incredibly fun time while we do it!” said Mr. Ketchum.

Additionally, numerous KMIH students also garnered awards and they can be viewed at KHIM 88.9 THE BRIDGE.

Celebrating Black History Month

While we acknowledge Black History Month every February, the histories, futures, stories, and voices of Black people should be heard, honored, and uplifted every day. It is imperative that we acknowledge the importance, relevance, and origins of Black History Month. In 1926, Carter D. Woodson and the ASALH (Association for the Study of African American Life and History) launched "Negro History Week" to promote the studying of African American history as a discipline and to celebrate the accomplishments of African Americans.

As we celebrate this month, it's important that we consider the full story. That means not only focusing on the beautiful oratory of Martin Luther King, Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech, but exploring the equally powerful, radical statements from Malcolm X, Huey P. Newton, and Fannie Lou Hamer, and in doing so, discover a more complete narrative.

The knowledge of Black History is a big step in helping us more fully appreciate the part that Black People have played and are still playing in the development of the world around us. One antidote to ignorance is knowledge and the accompanying humility to concede we might have been misinformed. Although we've made progress, research from the Southern Poverty Law Center and other sources still shows that we are far from our goal of honoring the multiple voices in our classrooms and in challenging dominant narratives.

Recently, Kelly John-Lewis emphasized that while it's important to acknowledge the suffering and the trauma, it's just as crucial that we also recognize the steps we've taken forward. Slavery, Jim Crow, systematic oppression, and racism are all issues that need to be addressed and it is important to engage students critically about these topics. But the Black Experience is much more than just that narrative. Black History Month should also be a celebration of art, culture, and innovation. It's imperative that while we commemorate the struggle, we also celebrate the triumphs.

Consider these questions in the months ahead. What can you do to contribute to breaking racial stereotypes? What biases do you carry about Black history? What did your upbringing and education teach you? Considering these questions will help bring the importance of Black History Month into focus and an understanding of what it is: A celebration, a stinging indictment, and a call to action all in one.

Since we’ve set aside the month for a noble purpose, let’s actually elevate what we do, individually and collectively, to live up to that purpose. Happy Black History Month.

MIHS Drama students named national qualifiers and state honorees by International Thespian Thespy Awards

The Mercer Island High School Drama department is pleased to announce 12 students have been recognized as either a National Qualifier or State Honoree in the Washington State Thespian Thespy Awards.

“I am so proud of the 16 students who participated in this year’s NW Regionals Thespy event,” said MIHS Drama Teacher Daniela Melgar. “Some of our students competed in three categories! All of the students chose their pieces, memorized, and rehearsed on their own time. They showed up bright and early on Saturday morning and competed against a number of other Drama students from around the region.”

“Students put their hearts into their presentations, and it was an honor to share the day with them. Beyond their own work, they had the opportunity to watch other performances and meet fellow Drama and Theatre Tech lovers,” continued Melgar.

National Qualifier (superior scores)

• Monologues - Kyle Gerstel
• Solo musical - Annabel Rimmer

State Honoree (excellent scores)

• Monologues - Alec Martin, Greg Chvany, Annabel Rimmer, Izzy Ferrari, Macie Nordberg, Wilder Giannini-Upton, Katie McGuire, Jada Jorgensen
• Playwriting - Katie McGuire, Macie Nordberg, Meredith Weaver
• Film - Giovee Roque
• Solo musical - Kyle Gerstel
• Duet musical - Kyle Gerstel and Annabel Rimmer, Macie Nordberg and Katie McGuire
• Stage Management - Mischa Gregory

All of the state honorees will be acknowledged at the WA State Thespian Festival in March 2024. Both Kyle Gerstel and Annabel Rimmer will be invited to the final round of adjudication for the International Thespian Festival, which takes place from May 20, 2024 to June 15, 2024. For more information on the International Thespian Thespy Awards check out the 2024 Thespy Program.

The Mercer Island High School Creative Arts Magazine ‘Pegasus’ has achieved a Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM) first class award from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

For more information about the REALM Program, please visit: https://ncte.org/awards/program-to-recognize-in-student-literary-magazines/" target="_blank">

IBS Finalist Nominations Announced

Mercer Island, WA, January 2, 2024 - Mercer Island High School Broadcast Media students have been nominated for nearly 30 national honors by the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System. IBS is one of the top organizations in the country that supports student media and is home to the prestigious Golden Microphone Awards. With their nominations, the radio and TV broadcasters/filmmakers at MIHS have proven once again that the creative and professional work they do on the airwaves at KMIH 889 The Bridge and MIHS-TV is among the nation’s best by high school students.

This year’s competition resulted in 29 nominations for KMIH 889 The Bridge and 4 for MIHS-TV. Both Michael and Natalie are also nominated for Best Faculty Advisors in their respective categories . Some of the outstanding work that is being recognized includes KMIH’s coverage of Mercer Island political issues, local news events, sports broadcasting, PSA's from a MIYFS mental health campaign and interviews from the radio station's Seafair coverage. The high school's weekly student news program, "The Current" is also up for awards with nominations for best comedy program, best newscast, and best high school TV station. MIHS.TV advisor, Michael Ketchum, is thrilled with the growing presence that television is adding to the Mercer Island High School media broadcast scene.

"We compete for these awards with schools that have much larger enrollment numbers and more powerful transmitters but I don't think any of them can equal our KMIH staff when it comes to engagement and creativity! It's a pleasure to mentor so many talented and dedicated students". ~ Joe Bryant

MIHS entered the television category for the first time this year, following the creation of the Media Technology program run by veteran video production professional and teacher, Michael Ketchum.

"Mercer Island High School has invested in the technology and instructional staff to support not just college preparation but more career-minded education as well, including culinary, robotics, radio, horticulture, and media technology to name a few. This includes the sophisticated on-campus studios that incorporate real-world, industry-standard media production equipment. I've had the pleasure to harness the facility and equipment to train students on how to deliver entertaining and informative newscasts from start to finish, with students serving as the production crew, news anchor team, director/technical director and more. In addition to learning the tools and roles of the trade, they're taught how to write story scripts; achieve the right voice quality, diction and timing; performance and pacing techniques; and good old-fashioned storytelling. This is an incredible group of broadcasters and filmmakers and I couldn't be more proud of the success they achieve, now and in the future."

Mercer Island High School broadcast and media students will travel to New York City at the end of February to attend the IBS Media Awards and Conference. There they will have the opportunity to meet other high school broadcasters, talk to students and professors from some of the nation’s top universities and learn about the craft of broadcasting from professionals in the media industry.

MIHS to participate in the Washington Guaranteed Admissions Program

The Mercer Island School District announced today that Mercer Island High School (MIHS) will participate in the Washington Guaranteed Admissions Program (WAGAP) starting this school year. The participation of MIHS in WAGAP creates a partnership with six Washington State public colleges and universities that will automatically admit Mercer Island students who graduate with a 3.0 grade-point average or higher and complete ALL of Washington’s College Academic Distribution Requirements (CADRs).

The six colleges and universities are:

• Central Washington University
• Eastern Washington University
• The Evergreen State College
• University of Washington Tacoma
• Washington State University
• Western Washington University

WAGAP is focused on students in the 11th and 12th grades. Through data sharing partnerships with Washington school districts and schools, the participating institutions engage with high school juniors to ready them for college and familiarize them with college admissions and high school seniors to apply through guaranteed admissions or, if not eligible, through the general admissions process.

Visit the WAGAP FAQ to learn more about the program or visit the WAGAP Facebook page or WAGAP Instagram Page.

Fentanyl & Opioid Crisis / Resources & Conversations

The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and local partners continue to warn about the various forms of fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Just two milligrams of fentanyl, which is equal to 10-15 grains of table salt, is considered a lethal dose. Because there is no way to know how much fentanyl is concentrated in a pill or powder without laboratory testing, the drug is extremely dangerous and frequently overdosed.

Island parents and community members are encouraged to have frank conversations with the youth in their lives about the dangers of fentanyl. Resources are available on the City's Healthy Youth Initiative website to help facilitate these conversations. Drug overdoses continue to climb across the nation, with fentanyl deaths leading the charts. Taking steps to inform children and young adults about what these drugs are, what they look like, and their extreme danger has a critical impact in preventing overdoses and tragedies.

The Flag Dudes of 2023/24!

Meet your stronger, better, faster Flag Dudes of 2023-24 in this delightful, self-produced adventure in the Pacific Northwest!

44th Annual Telly Award Winners

Mercer Island High School’s Media Technology, Filmmaking, and Storytelling Class announced today that two student works have been named Best Student Works in the record breaking 44th Annual Telly Awards. The Telly Awards honors excellence in video and television across all screens and is judged by leaders from video platforms, television, streaming networks, production companies and including Adobe, BBC World Service, Netflix, Dow Jones, Complex Networks, Jennifer Garner, A&E Networks, Hearst Media, Nickelodeon, National Geographic Society, ESPN Films, RYOT, Partizan and Vimeo.

Jonathan Aggar received a Silver Award for his work titled, "Climate Changed" which captures a bleak but not impossible future impacted by the affects of climate change. Sophia Chew received a Bronze Award for her work titled, "Literally Opposites" capturing a unique perspective of two students, so similar yet...opposite.

"The caliber of the work this season coming from creators such as Jonathan and Sophia truly has reflected the theme of breaking out and standing out," said Tellys Executive Director Sabrina Dridje. "Our industry is experimenting with new technologies like never before, crafting truly compelling stories to draw attention to some of the world's most pressing issues, and companies big and small are turning to more sustainable practices to break the cycle of past production processes."

"Today's winners' announcement caps a re-introduction of media technology and filmmaking at Mercer Island High School and celebrates creators and talent who truly stand out during a time when the ubiquity of screens brings more clutter than quality into our lives,” said their teacher, Michael Ketchum. "Jonathan and Sophia, as well as the rest of the class, are the creators and innovators who spotlight diverse voices, who are building a more sustainable industry, and who break through the static with their creativity. I couldn’t be prouder of these two, and the future is bright for them and filmmaking at MIHS!"

This was a record-breaking year with nearly 13,000 entries from across the globe and top video and television content producers such as Airbnb, Audible, BET Networks/BET Digital, BritBox, Disney, FEMA, Gaumont, Golden State Warriors, MediaMonks, NASA, National Geographic Society, Netflix, Paramount, PBS Digital Studios and more.

Summer Kickoff!

Summer Kickoff is here! Wednesday after Islander Hour, join us for a slew of activities, great food, and a lot of fun!

Literacy on Mercer Island

In the 2022-2023 school year, Mercer Island School District rolled out the first of two phases of the new literacy program. This program, Benchmark Advance, is a full literacy program that includes foundational skills, spelling, vocabulary, and comprehension instruction that is aligned with the Science of Reading (SoR).

Dodgeball Tournament

Are you ready for Dodgeball?! Join the June 7 tournament now using the QR codes located around the school and bring your game!

2023/24 ASB Leadership Candidates

Candidates for 2023/24 ASB leadership positions go on the record as to why they should get your vote to represent the student body next year!

South Mercer Playfields Ribbon Cutting and Softball Jamboree

The Mercer Island School District and the City of Mercer Island celebrate a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the newly updated South Mercer Playfields (SMP) on Saturday, March 11, at noon.

Ninety-Second Film Festival Winners Announced!

The First Annual MIHS Ninety-Second Film Festival has finished its voting and revealed this year's award winners in film and technical categories. Follow the navigation up above to view the winning entries! Enjoy!

88.9 The Bridge Wins Big at Annual IBS Conference!

While MIHS.tv didn't take home any awards this year after just two months of operation, HUGE kudos to our partners and classmates over on KMIH 88.9 the Bridge, for their outstanding performance in the annual Intercollegiate Broadcasters System Awards. Fourteen MIHS students were in the top performers in high school broadcast radio and a big shout out to News Director Miles Avilez for winning FOUR awards! Well done!

Ijeoma Oluo Speaks to MIHS.

On Friday, 10 February 2023, best-selling author of "So You Want to Talk About Race", Ijeoma Oluo, spoke to the MIHS student body and staff in a Black Student Union (BSU) and PTSA-organized morning assembly. Her moving speech was followed with a question and answer session with the author herself.

Ijeoma Oluo gave a personal speech about growing up as a person of color, her experiences as an African American adult, why she writes, and much more.

The speech was preceded by a performance of from the MIHS Chamber A Orchestra performed the second movement from William Grant Still's Symphony No. 2. William Grant Still is known as "The Dean of African American composers" and was the first African American individual to conduct a major symphony orchestra in the United States. This particular song is known as the "Song of a New Race" as it tells the stories of African American people in modern times and how different races are integrated into American society by infusing elements of blues and jazz into classical music.

MIHS.tv nominated for 4 prestigious IBS awards in first 2 months of operation!

MIHS.tv is proud to announce that the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System has recognized our students with four IBS Media Award nominations, including best comedy, best sports cast, best news cast, and best website! The IBS Media Awards will take place Saturday, February 25 during the 2023 Intercollegiate Broadcasting Conference at the Sheraton Times Square in New York City.