Wednesday, March 5, 2008
For most college students, reality television is a guilty pleasure. For the seven University sophomores who participated in “High School Confidential,” a WE tv documentary about high school life in Overland Park, it describes their high school lives perfectly.
When the show premieres on March 10, Cate, Crystle, Beth, Sarah T., Gina, Cappie and Courtney will see some of the most personal details about their high school lives on display for anyone with cable to see.
Their last names and the high school the girls attended are not revealed in the show.
Filmmaker Sharon Liese captured a variety of emotions, challenges and successes that each girl experienced during the course of four years through interviews and documentary work. Cate, whose brief struggle with depression and an eating disorder is featured in her episode, said she hoped people would see just how many pressures teens currently faced.
“I hope they see that even though we went to a primarily white, suburban high school that it’s not all ‘Leave it to Beaver,’” Cate said.
From left, Overland Park sophomores Gina, Cate, Crystle, Bethany and Sarah T. are part of the show "High School Confidential." They had all four years of their high school lives filmed for the reality show, which will be aired on WE tv.
Even though the experience hadn’t been entirely positive, she said she would definitely do it again if she had the opportunity. Cate’s father, Rick, wasn’t so sure. Although it was eye-opening to see what his daughter had gone through, he said it was difficult to have family business aired across the country.
Others were more anxious about what they may have said rather than done.
Sarah T. said she hadn’t seen her episode yet, but that she didn’t really have anything to hide about herself from others. She said she was trying not to dwell on the fact that the premiere was rapidly approaching, but was worried about what she may have said on camera that she doesn’t remember now.
“I’m more concerned about anything I may have said about other people,” Sarah T. said.
She said she decided to participate in order to show a different side to high school life than the one depicted on television. When the project began, Sarah T. said she couldn’t have imagined it would have received the attention it has. She said her friends were more excited for her episode than she was, and that she was not yet sure if she would watch the premiere.
She may be the only one. “High School Confidential” has been the talk of Internet message boards because of the network’s work promoting the show on Youtube and increasing media coverage. Liese, Cate and two other girls are in New York this week for appearances on the “Tyra Banks Show” and “Good Morning America.”
Liese said she came upon the idea while thinking about the kind of experiences and pressures her own daughter would face during high school. She sent letters to each incoming freshman girl in her daughter’s class and, after interviewing those who responded, settled on 12 girls with a variety of family and ethnic backgrounds.
Unlike contemporary reality TV programs such as “Laguna Beach” and “The Hills,” the girls who participated in “High School Confidential” didn’t have cameramen following their every move. Rather, each would have a one-on-one interview with Liese a few times a year, and were filmed at school and at home at select times. The show also includes interviews with the girls’ parents.
Liese said that after four years following and documenting each girl’s life she felt an emotional connection with each of them.
“I was there for my daughter’s graduation,” Liese said. “But I also saw these 12 girls walk across the stage and I had chills each time they walked across to get their diplomas. I knew their lives, I knew their struggles and I knew their triumphs.”
— Edited by Patrick De Oliveira
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Comments
Overland Park students star in reality show
Yes, but who are they? Even if their names are not revealed by the show, it would be nice if the newspaper writing about them told us who they were.
Overland Park students star in reality show
one of them looks like a graduate of Blue Valley Northwest. I'd say they're all from that school.
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