BEARDEN SHOPPER-NEWS • FEBRUARY 4, 2013 • A-3
Central grad
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director of photography. “We set the stage, in essence,� he says. Hamilton’s work is familiar to anyone who watches television. In addition to “The Return of the King,� which artfully depicts the end of prohibition, he worked on spots for Nike’s “Find Your Greatness� campaign that aired during last summer’s Olympic games. He also worked on the promotion for Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos tacos. That job had a nice perk, he says. “I got to eat one of the perfect ones.� Last fall, he traveled to Iceland to shoot an HP printer commercial set in a fishing village. A freak storm delayed filming for a few days, and he was happy to return to the California sunshine. Hamilton has spent enough time around the Hollywood elite that he is no longer dazzled by the likes of Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney. He worked with Clooney once, and says the
actor was as impressed by the crew as they were by him. People are people, after all. But he admits to being starstruck twice. The first time was when he worked on his first music video with rocker Ozzy Osbourne. The second was when he and his wife, Cassiel, saw Paul “Bear� Vasquez, the star of a viral video about a double rainbow, at a restaurant. The Hamiltons are the proud parents of two daughters: Izzy, 4, and Bowie, 2. They bring the family to Knoxville at least once a year to visit with Jason’s parents, Larry and Sharlyn Bolinger of Bearden, and James Hamilton. The 17th annual Art Directors Guild Awards were announced on Saturday, Feb. 2, so winners were not available at press time. This year’s Super Bowl Budweiser commercial was also still under wraps at press time, but Hamilton shared one not-sosurprising detail. “The Clydesdales are in it.�
Lecture hall
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see what’s out there.� West High School principal Katherine Banner announced that students from the UT College of Business Administration will spend several weeks this spring researching the best use for the school’s new distance learning capabilities. She looks forward to their recommendations. Chip Finn, former president of the West High School Foundation, oversaw much of the project. He told the crowd that he felt a little like Elle Woods, a character in the movie “Legally Blonde,� when she graduated from Harvard and announced, “We did it!� He thanked the 115 donors to the project, who were mostly parents. “The wonderful thing about West High School parents is that when they
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give, they give for everybody.� He also thanked community partners like the Great Schools Partnership along with Oak Ridge National Lab, whose gift specifically funded distance learning. He expressed special appreciation for the gift from the West High School PTSO. “They raised their money the hard way.� The lecture hall’s distance learning capabilities were demonstrated when Tennessee commissioner of education Kevin Huffman spoke to the crowd from Nashville. He expressed excitement for Knox County and West High School as they “take the leap forward.� “It’s important to embrace distance learning as a state.�
This year’s TEAM UT participants are (sitting) Destini Long, Danielle Polk, Taylor Hathorn, Kristy Lancaster, Abby Bensen, Kristen Petway, and Sara Frazier; (standing) Alice Mitchell, Brad Briggs, Debbie Mackey, Bryan Lundquist, Darren Brown, Fritz Polite, Andrew Busa, Trey Pence, Chuck Strickland, Erika Brown, and Ladina Poltera. Photo submitted
By the time you read this, Super Bowl XLVII will be nothing but a memory. But for 15 UT students and faculty members, it’s a memory that will last a lifetime.
Wendy Smith
The group, called TEAM UT, travelled to New Orleans last week to work with M Group Scenic Studios, the Super Bowl event planner. Fritz Polite, an assistant professor of sports management at UT, developed the program. This was the seventh year UT students have helped behind the scenes at the Super Bowl. It was Polite’s ninth year to work at the Super Bowl. The first two years, he helped supervise the parking lot. “I’ve gone from the parking lot to the suites,� he says. This year’s TEAM UT assisted VIP attendees, like owners and commissioners. Polite coached the students on how to keep their cool
around celebrities. “You have to act like you’ve been there before. We’re not spectators, but employees.� The group also helped with NFL Experience, an event that gave members of the community the opportunity to interact with players through games and clinics. The trip wasn’t entirely glamorous. TEAM UT also spent time cleaning up a playground with the UT New Orleans alumni chapter. The program is highly competitive, Polite says. Applicants wrote essays about their five- and ten-year career plans, and finalists interviewed with three students who were participating in the program for a second year. This year’s TEAM UT is made up of undergraduate and graduate students studying recreation and sports management, communications and business. TEAM UT raised $30,000 for the trip through various fundraisers. The goal of the program is to teach students to lead, Polite says. “I feel very honored to be able to do this. I love stu-
BHS senior Evan Pinion Photo by Wendy Smith
dents, and this is a great project to develop skill sets.â€? â–
BHS celebrates victories in swimming, wrestling
The Bearden High School Aquadogs swam to first place out of 28 local teams at the recent KnoxvilleArea Interscholastic Swim League city meet championship. For senior swimmer Evan Pinion, who competed in last summer’s Olympic trials, it was a record-breaking day. He beat his own two-year-old record in the 200 individual medley, and beat a 17-year-old record in 100 back. It was also a bittersweet day because it was his last city championship.
“It was a little emotional.� While he’s represented the U.S. in international competition, it was fun to represent Bearden in local competition, he says. The meet was his first time back in the pool after taking a few weeks off for an injury. He spent last fall in Atlanta training with Dynamo Swim Club, and while he was there, he experimented with different strokes. His work on backstroke paid off. He also tied a city meet record for the boys’ 400 free relay. Other members of the relay team were Hayden Burns, Bryar Long and Ryan Burcham. After competing in the state meet on Feb. 8 and 9, Pinion plans to enjoy his last few months as a high school student. He’s glad to be back at Bearden, even though he’s catching up on core classes after being homeschooled last fall. He begins practice with UT in May. The Bearden wrestling team competed at the State Dual Wrestling Championship last weekend in Franklin. While results weren’t available at press time, this was the first year the team has attended state. Way to go, Bearden wrestlers!
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UT students work behind the scenes at the Super Bowl
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