Mascoutah High uses YouTube video to push for NGA; celebrates ‘Robert Cardillo Day’
Mascoutah High School has joined the metro-east’s effort to land the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s western headquarters.
Federal government agencies were expected to announce recommendations Thursday afternoon or evening on whether the agency will build its new western headquarters in St. Louis or in St. Clair County, near Scott Air Force Base.
Mascoutah High students took part in a video that promotes the St. Clair County site and celebrates “Robert Cardillo Day.”
Cardillo is the director of NGA, who will make the final decision on the location of the new NGA headquarters.
In the video, students discuss accomplishments of Cardillo and his agency.
“Happy Robert Cardillo Day, Mr. Cardillo!” students say in the video.
U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Illinois, asked the students about creating a video.
Principal Sandy Jouglard said the students are excited about the possibility of the NGA coming to the area; more than half of the students come from military families.
Students understood the purpose was to try and sell why Cardillo and the NGA need to come to the area, Jouglard said.
Daustin Hoelscher, one of the students in the video, is “very good” at computers and videos, Jouglard said, and plans a future in the field.
“He’s really wanting to go to school to be part of that software spy group” to prevent cyber breeches agains the government, she said.
“You see kids really using their talent and skills to put something together on sort of a dime’s notice, as I say,” Jouglard said.
The senator’s office had repeatedly called and emailed while the students were on spring break. The communications class that does the video editing and broadcast production put the minute-and-a-half video together in about two and a half days.
The senator’s office had a suggestion and direction on how to promote the agency coming to the area, but “gave us a lot of free license to do it.”
“They must have had some fun (coming up with the request)” Jouglard said. “Sen. Kirk must have been in a video class when he was in high school.”
This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 3:10 PM with the headline "Mascoutah High uses YouTube video to push for NGA; celebrates ‘Robert Cardillo Day’."