(KNSI) — In an era where teen mental health challenges continue to rise, a group of high school students has turned their morning video production class into a platform for hope and healing.
The Tech Morning Show, a student-run YouTube program now in its seventh season, recently released “We Need You Here,” a music video addressing mental health awareness and suicide prevention. KNSI News met with the creative team behind the video and learned that what started as a conversation about students struggling became a powerful message that reached viewers on the program’s YouTube channel.
St. Cloud Tech Technology Teacher Matthew Keil launched the program and explained it was a topic the kids just gravitated to. “Many students in this building are dealing with mental health challenges. And so, as a community, we’re all trying to be there for each other.”
The project came together after CentraCare reached out to the district about an uptick in mental health challenges among teens. The timing coincided with the school’s rollout of the Say Something app, an anonymous reporting tool created by the Sandy Hook Foundation, and the promotion of the 988 crisis hotline.
The students used AI tools as creative assistants rather than replacements for their own work. Using ChatGPT and Suno, they generated lyrics with an Eminem-inspired tone, then refined and personalized the words. The AI-generated music took less than ten minutes to create, but the planning, filming, and editing took several weeks.
Working with a rough draft from Keil, student director Addison Wallace-Jones said the assignment was clear: create something that would resonate. She mapped out every shot, coordinated three camera crews, and spent nearly three hours one evening filming scenes throughout the school building. The team recorded each scene from three different angles, giving editors maximum flexibility during the eight hours of post-production work that followed.
She remembered the trials of making the video. “I think the more challenging part was filming, because it was like, well, what’s the best angle? How can we convey the best emotion? Stuff like that.” She said after it was all done and over with, it was well worth it and looked great.
The program welcomes students regardless of experience level. Keil, affectionately known as Doc to his students, added there’s always a learning curve as new students show up for the show or others take on new roles. “We don’t give them a tutorial online or a one-pager. It’s just get on the camera, let’s record. You’re going to learn best by just being on the equipment.”
For sophomore Ava Bauck, the message hits close to home for her peers.
“Mental health is just a huge thing, especially in high school, because you never know what is going on in somebody else’s house, what’s going on in their mind. Stress from school, friends, family; it could be anything. I hope from this video that people see that it’s okay to not be okay sometimes and you’re able to talk to people about it.”
First-year participant Alexis Rieke found herself acting in the video after joining the intro to video class, while Jonathan Hegge, a second-year member, contributed despite having recently lost a family friend to suicide after bullying.
The finished video emphasizes that students aren’t alone and encourages them to share their feelings. It includes information about the Say Something app and the 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, resources the students hope their peers will use.
The Tech Morning Show releases new content every two to three weeks, with episodes ranging from five to 20 minutes. The program has produced 132 videos and surpassed 500 subscribers since launching during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Each year, the team creates a music video centered on a message relevant to their school community.
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