Senior Will Ungar had never been deeply involved in the Colorado Academy student government, but COVID-19 changed all that. “Some kids say, ‘Well, Senior year is canceled,’ Ungar says. “But I saw it as a chance to try something new.” And that attitude led to Zoomlights.
Soon after CA transitioned to remote learning, Ungar dropped into a Zoom meeting of CA’s Community Council where Senior presidents Jasmine Bilir and Matt Robinson were brainstorming ways to keep the community engaged while social distancing. At that moment, they hit on the idea for a weekly show highlighting how students were spending their time as a way to keep community spirit alive. Marry “Zoom” and “highlights” and you get “Zoomlights.”
Ungar, who has been taking courses in video editing since Middle School, seized on the idea. With a lot of production assistance from Bilir and Robinson—as well as teachers, administrators, and students—Ungar pulled the first Zoomlights together in less than 2 days. The response was immediate. “People wrote me and said they loved it,” Ungar says.
For Ungar, having five uninterrupted hours of editing is wonderful, something “I couldn’t have done with a regular school schedule.” No surprise that he was a student in REDI Lab last year, where he designed his own learning for a trimester. “I was open to trying new things before REDI Lab,” he says. “This is the same kind of experience. It’s fun!”
Enjoy the latest two episodes of Zoomlights!