Students in Michael Cebuliak's class have gotten some amazing opportunities thanks to multimedia equipment donated by a retired journalist.
John Dell, who worked in the area for many years covering events, donated his equipment to Lake City Secondary School to document school and community events.
Students in Cebuliak's New Media, Film and TV and Photography classes are making use of the equipment, which includes high end video cameras, tripods, lighting equipment, a Go Pro with accessories, wireless microphones, a green screen and more.
So far, the equipment has been used on a number of projects. Student James Sterne used the equipment to film retired NHL goalie Kirk McLean's visit to Williams Lake and to create advertisements for local businesses.
Cebuliak also had the equipment out for another project recently, where students documented a memorial bench installation in Herb Gardner Park on May 31, 2025 to honour those struggling with homelessness and addiction and in particular, Cheryl Folden, who died in January of 2024.
Cebuliak said the memorial organizer Stuart Westie reached out to ask if he or his students might be able to help cover the event. Westie was trying to get as much exposure as possible in order to pay tribute to his friend Cheryl Folden, who he said was an advocate for the downtrodden.
Students and Cebuliak interviewed some of the memorial attendees and filmed the event to provide audio and visual for the CBC. Shelley Joyce out of Kamloops used some of the audio on her radio show Daybreak North, and the video footage was sent to CBC in Vancouver for possible use by reporters there.
Wyatt Tollefson, one of the students who helped document the event, said he felt it was a "pretty cool" experience to be able to help provide documentary coverage of the memorial for the homeless.
Tollefson said friends and family were impressed he was able to work on something for such a prominent media organization, and he learned a lot, both about the community and about camera work.
"Never say never to opportunities like this."
"It's good to branch out of the comfort zone," advised the Grade 11 student. He said film and television have always been a fascination of his, which is why he agreed to help, but then at the memorial the story stuck with him.
"It was really just the connection they had to this one person," he said.
Another student who helped with the documentary, Hassan Rehman, said he came to see Cebuliak in his classroom for something else and was asked if he might want to help cover the memorial as well.
"I thought it would be an interesting experience," he said. At the memorial, Rehman said he felt a lot of mixed emotions listening to people remember Folden, because it brought back memories of his late grandfather, with whom he had a strong connection.
He said he thinks documenting the memorial could help share awareness of homeless people's experiences.
Cebuliak said while more students than the four who came out were interested in helping with the documentary work, many already had commitments due to graduation which was upcoming at the time.
But he will be working with students and Folden's family to continue to share her story and the materials the students collected at the memorial. He has a website which students will be helping to further develop and maintain, giving hands-on experience while also continuing to explore Folden's story and legacy.
"It's a story that's certainly touched a chord among many people," said Cebuliak, who said he and the students were grateful for the opportunity to document the event, thanks to Dell's donation and Westie's advocacy.
"It's empowering to feel like you're a part of positive social change," said Cebuliak, noting how important he feels it is for the students to both experience this and be recognized for it.
The website, which Cebuliak said will continue to evolve, is called Empathy in Action and is located at: https://a9mandm9.wixsite.com/remembering-cheryl
There, people can watch some of the interviews and speeches from the memorial.
Westie said the memorial coverage was "more than he could have ever imagined."
