On a mission to learn
Senior, his camera and producer go places no students typically go
Henry Aiden Acevedo is surrounded by a small group of people, but his attention is fixed upward.
He stands facing a pillar outside the Boyertown High School weight room, his chest pressed against it and head tilted back. The handheld video camera he holds is pointing straight up, focused on a small box a few feet out of reach.
It’s a fire alarm, one of Aiden’s favorite things.
Aiden, a 19-year old senior with developmental disabilities who goes by both Henry and Aidan, loves any sort of machinery. He is obsessed with buttons and switches. He can’t get enough of generators.
And fire alarms, the little boxes that ever so often erupt with screaming sirens and flashing lights, those are something that always catch his eye.
Aiden is naturally inquisitive. He loves to delve deeply into his many fascinations.
And as the host of his very own online show, he gets to share it all with his classmates.
This school year, the 19-yearold has been hosting “Exploring with Aidan.” The shows follows Aidan as he investigate parts of the high school and local community that are often places that students typically don’t get a chance to see.
His partner on his journeys is Luke Yambor, an 18-year-old senior and the producer of the show.
Luke said the idea for “Exploring with Aidan” came from a pitch for another show. Some students who take classes in the high school’s telecommunications program suggested doing an “Unauthorized Access” show that would take viewers to hidden parts of the school.
But the show didn’t have a host. Aidan was already well versed in the ways of the school’s television studio. Two years ago he hosted a program called “Aidan’s Favorites” in which he discussed all his favorite things — ranging from sports to ice cream flavors to television shows.
Bill Cherkasky, Boyertown’s telecommunications teacher, said the idea for that program came out of Aidan’s interest in television news. Aidan wanted to explore that interest, but Cherkasky said none of the classes he taught
met Aidan’s special needs.
So, he decided to pair Aidan up with some of the student interns who man the television studio. They ended up producing 25 to 30 episodes of “Aidan’s Favorites.”
Already seasoned in front of the camera, Aidan was a perfect fit for the new show.
Yambor and Cherkasky said a list was created of possible shooting locales.
“We just try to pick ar- eas of the building that we think that people are interested in,” Cherkasky said.
Those areas so far have included the boiler room, the maintenance garage, the main office and, most recently, the weight room. Aidan has found something he likes in pretty much every one — from getting to ride on a golf cart to taking a break for refreshments.
“I got a soda in the vending machine,” he said of one of his explorations, smiling broadly at the memory. “It gave me burps.”
The show has even taken Aidan off campus. He and his crew got to visit a nearby Rita’s where he learned how to make water ice. His favorite flavor is mango.
So far this school year there have been 19 episodes of “Exploring with Aidan,” with the soon-to-be-complete weight room excursion being No. 20. And since Aidan can stay in school until he’s 21, Cherkasky said the show will likely continue next year.
“There’s still plenty of places to explore,” he said.
Working on “Exploring with Aidan,” as well as his previous show, has made Aidan a bit of a celebrity in the halls of the high school. As he walks around, camera in hand and a hat with a “press” badge sticking out, classmates frequently check to see what he’s working on.
Brooke Blankenbiller, a paraprofessional in the high school’s life skills classroom who works with Aidan, said the experience has been great for him.
“It helps him get out in the community,” she said. “He goes every other day, and it’s the first thing he says when he gets off the bus. He’ll say, ‘I’m going to the TV studio today.’ “
Yambor, who will enroll in the film and television program at Savannah College of Art and Design in the fall, said episodes of “Exploring with Aidan” are unscripted. He will typically contact the teacher or staff member they plan to visit ahead of time and often they come up with something for Aidan to do.
But when the cameras start rolling — one operated by Yambor and the other in Aidan’s hands — they simply follow Aidan. And that pretty much always results in something interesting and entertaining.
Episodes of “Exploring with Aidan” can be found on the Boyertown High School YouTube page at youtube.com/c/bashtvBoyertown under the “Other Recurring Shows” section.