I remember walking in my sophomore year into my high schools television production.
I did not know what to expect from the program, much less the teacher.
Mr. Devlen always had a sense of humor that always lightened my mood.
He soon became much more than a teacher, he was a mentor.
I remember our very first project, an auto biography.
The day he assigned the project, I ran home and started writing a script forum.
Never before was I so eager to start a project.
That weekend I began shooting footage for my project.
On Monday morning, I uploaded my footage to the computer and started to compile it.
Within a week or so I was done with my project and was eager to start the next project.
Most of the students were still in the process of working on their projects, so I had wait for them to be finished before we could start the next project.
Later that week, Mr. Devlen told us that he wanted us to come the following week to start to learn how to run Flyer News.
He had told us to come in at 6:30 in the morning or at 6:45 at the latest to help prepare for the broadcast.
I came in at 6 that morning eager to start learning; the only problem was no one was there yet.
When the floor manger arrived she showed me how to operate the studio cameras.
For the next 3 to 4 months I mastered how to use the studio cameras.
I wanted to try something new but I was to shy too ask.
I eventually subtlety hinted to Mr. Devlen that I wanted to try something new.
He brought me into the control room and had some of the upperclassmen teach me how to operate the different positions.
Till the end of the year I learned how to technical direct, run the teleprompter, run audio and run the video technician station.
At the end of the year I decided that I would become a technical director (a person responsible for changing shots during the show).
From junior year till the present I have remained in this position.
In my junior year Mr. Devlen made the most significant impact on me.
I came up with this idea for a segment were I analyze famous quotes.
When I told Mr. Devlen about the idea, he was enthusiastic about it and encouraged me to make one.
From that day on I began producing my own segment "Words of Wisdom".
It was during my junior year that Mr. Devlen realized my passion for writing.
He taught me to embrace my writing.
I'd bring in pieces that I wrote and he would give me some feedback.
He soon began calling me a "Word Smith."
Now in my senior year he is leaving.
TV won't be the same without him.
He built a program from the ground up and his legacy will surely never be forgotten.
Ultimately, if you had the pleasure of knowing Mr. Devlen, he taught us to embrace who we are as an individual.
The reality is TV production may not be for everyone but that does not matter because Mr. Devlen will help you find a place in this world, even if it's across the world, he will stick with you till the very end.
