By Gabrielle Diaz, Current Staff
The familiar voices from the West Bend High Schools’ public announcements are now being heard on local radio.
West junior Andrew Haese and East senior Lydia Spettel can be heard on 101.3 WIBD talking about events happening in the community and the schools at 6:45 a.m. every Tuesday morning. Listeners can also find Haese daily on his own station, A100 Radio.
Haese and Spettel are already known on campus for their work leading the pledge of allegiance and reading the announcements on Mondays and Tuesdays.
With the offer to appear on the radio, the long-term duo had the opportunity to pursue a hobby and, in Haese’s case, a head start to his career.
“After Mrs. Rausch (the WBHS administrative assistant) got an email about needing people to take on this opportunity, she was supposed to make an announcement about it,” Haese said. “But she knew Lydia and I would love to do it, so thanks to her we were able to get this.”
Both Haese, with his involvement in Skills USA, choir, musicals, and technology education, and Spettel, with her involvement in Vivace!, orchestra, musicals, and National Honor Society, have already made a lasting impact on student life.
Haese believes that this opportunity at WIBD, though an extra part to his busy lifestyle, has improved his life as a student.
“It made me a little more involved and a little more aware of what’s going on in the West Bend high schools,” Haese said.
“There is stuff that I didn’t even know had existed in our high schools,” Spettel said. “We got the opportunity to share these new and unknown things with the people in our school and community.”
Rick Jensen, the group managing editor at WIBD, is extremely proud of Andrew and Lydia’s involvement in the community.
“Andrew and Lydia bring an enthusiasm about the schools and life in general that is contagious, in a good way,” Jensen said. “It’s been a pleasure to have them on the air and to get to know them.”
While both students are known as extremely outgoing people, they believe that this opportunity has definitely improved that aspect of their personality as well as increase their public speaking skills.
“I remember the first time going in there and having butterflies and being a little nervous,” Haese said. “Rick Jensen was so supportive of us and found a way to make us comfortable in the public speaking setting.”
While both Haese and Spettel have passion for this radio hobby, only Haese wishes to pursue this as a career. While his radio career has already started at A100 Radio, Haese has bigger dreams.
“I’d like to make it to New York to the iHeartMedia head offices and work there.”
– Andrew Haese
“I want to work for iHeartMedia,” Haese said. “I’d like to make it to New York to their head offices and work there. What’d I’d like to do exactly, I don’t know yet.”
Haese feels as if he is lucky because not only has he already chosen what he wants to pursue the rest of his life, but he has already started his career.
“You turn a hobby into even more of a hobby, and that’s how you know you’re really truly happy in life—when you turn something you love into something that you do for the rest of your life,” Haese said.
Haese will further his career at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He plans to major in RTF (radio, television and film).
Jensen is very pleased that Andrew has decided to pursue his dream, and is very proud of Lydia’s academic accomplishments, which include a full tuition and housing scholarship through the Western Golf Association.
“I wish Lydia the best at Northwestern,” Jensen said. “Andrew is a dynamo and we are fortunate to have him as part of the future of radio. He has the talent and drive to succeed in a highly competitive field.”
Haese has also started to experiment with other media fields, including the high schools’ weekly video announcements. Most recently, he had a large part in the WBHS Every 15 Minutes video. That program was designed to warn teens about the dangers of drinking and driving. Haese has also started an unfinished short film, which he hopes to release soon.
Haese has already agreed to return to WIBD in the fall and is searching for a new co-host to replace the graduating Spettel.
(Photos courtesy of Andrew Haese and Lydia Spettel.)
The West Bend Current 