FORTVILLE — Public speaking isn’t necessarily Jessica Brown’s forte. In fact, she spent most of her life avoiding it.
At least, that was case until now.
A 2012 Mt. Vernon High School graduate and former Indiana All-Star, Brown’s journey has come full circle in multiple ways over the years, including as the Coordinator of Character Education and Community Partnerships at Mt. Vernon Community School Corp.
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Spearheading an online vlog last month called “Marauder Up, Under 1,” which offers Mt. Vernon students and the community guidance and encouragement, Brown is conquering her own apprehensions by inspiring others.
“I do not like giving speeches. I, personally, don’t like that,” said Brown, who has been publishing online videos since March 30. “I think I’ve gotten better at it over time, but in high school I didn’t like giving speeches at all. I didn’t even take a speech class. In college, I didn’t take a normal speech class just so I didn’t have to get up and give speeches.”
On the basketball court, Brown rarely backed away from any challenge. A Class 3A state runner-up with the Mt. Vernon Marauders as a senior point guard under coach Julie Shelton, Brown let her actions speak for her.
Brown’s hoop talents led her to Indiana Wesleyan University where she continued her basketball career before becoming the director of Giant Discovery Zone and an assistant girls basketball coach at Marion High School in 2016.
The next year, Brown returned to Fortville as a varsity girls basketball assistant coach, but more importantly, she came back home.
“Once you get out, you realize how much you had, and you have family that’s close, friends and the community, and Mt. Vernon is so special. They have such a special tight-knit community, and just to be able to come back here has been really cool,” Brown said. “I would have never imagined how things worked out, but I’m so thankful. It’s been really neat to see how it all fell into place.”
As an employee at her alma mater, Brown primarily travels to the elementary schools and spends some of her time at the middle school and at the high school to works with students. Through the past three years, she’s developed strong ties with several teachers and administrators while serving the Marauders’ school community as a whole.
Yet, just prior to Mt. Vernon’s spring break on March 16, the rapid outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and instituted social distancing protocols put her in a difficult position.
Once it was announced schools would be closed for the duration of the 2019-20 contract year, Brown was in need of a plan to reach students while working remotely.
“I was brainstorming, trying to figure out what things would look like for me because I don’t really have a set classroom or anything. It’s a little different with my position,” Brown said. “One of the fifth-grade teachers (Ashley Schenck) at Mt. Comfort Elementary, she said she’d seen people around the country do kindness videos. I thought about that, and thought, that would be pretty cool.”
One problem. Starting a vlog would required speaking in front of a camera. While there weren’t any note cards or a podium involved, Brown realized sometimes thinking outside the box also requires stepping outside of your comfort zone.
“These have been interesting. I feel like it has built my confidence being able to speak. And, I don’t mind getting in front of a group of students. I actually enjoy that,” Brown said. “So, I just think, if these can impact at least one kid or one person, then it’s worth it. It doesn’t come natural, but I’ve really enjoyed it and I’m definitely growing from it.”
Brown’s aim is for others to experience their own personal growth with lessons on self-discipline, giving back, perseverance, digital citizenship, forgiveness and being the best person you can be.
“My job is all about character building, so I thought, I’ll just make short videos that are about character, encouragement and motivation and kindness,” Brown said. “I try to make a video for every e-learning day that we have, and then I’ll throw in a special guest every once and a while.”
Her videos are posted on YouTube and on Twitter through the MVCSC Character Education feed every Tuesday and Thursday.
Along with Brown, she’s invited special guests to speak and offer their message to students and other followers. Recently, former Mt. Vernon boys basketball coach Travis Daugherty spoke on the importance of making good choices. Mt. Vernon tennis coach Gabe Muterspaugh shared his program’s philosophy on NSD (No Slowing Down) in school, sports and in life.
“I figured people would get bored with just me, so I try to think of people that have a motivational part about them, and both coach Gabe (Muterspaugh) and coach (Travis) Daugherty, they’re amazing motivators,” Brown said. “They’ve been inspiring to me, so being able to reach out to them was great.”
The trickiest part of the videos, Brown admits, is the time constraint. As the vlog’s title says, “Under 1,” each video runs at approximately one minute in duration. This setup was both by design and to offer deliverables that wouldn’t become too time consuming.
“Originally, I thought, that will be pretty easy, and it is actually really hard. When you have an idea and you want to share something with somebody, to really capture it in a minute is pretty difficult,” Brown said. “I wanted it to be something quick and easy that they could get to that would still be powerful and meaningful.”
Sometimes the messages Brown shares are personal as well. In a recent video, Brown helped her grandmother, Arveta, with landscaping and turned the seasonal chore into a life lesson on facing obstacles.
Her videos have also extended beyond her initial demographic audience, influencing not only her students but their parents, too.
“Originally, it was mainly just for students of any age as far as from the elementary to the high school, but the more I started doing them, I actually had parents reach out, since a lot of adults have Twitter,” Brown said. “One of them told me that one of my videos motivated them to start yoga. It’s not just for the students. The messages can apply to really anyone in the community.”
The key to the whole process, Brown noted, is finding the right topic, being concise and trying to get it right on the first try, or fifth or sixth, if needed, which is usually the case.
Learning how to shoot video, edit her own content and publish the vlog, has been an on-going hands-on endeavor, but Brown is relishing the experience.
“I got this thing for Christmas. It’s called a weather tech phone cup holder. It’s meant for a car, but it actually sits on a desk or a chair or wherever you want. I set that up and record,” Brown laughed. “I’ve learned how to use iMovie (Video Editor) and edit. This is stuff I’m not real great at, but I’m still learning. It’s not just time for student learning during this. Other people have to learn, too.”
And she’s not too proud to showcase her mistakes either as her recent outtakes vlog portrays, revealing her mid-sentence flubs and re-shoot bloopers.
“That one was funny. I’d like to get it done in the first video, but there’s so many times where you mess up and you have to try again,” Brown laughed. “It happens every time. I think there’s been one video where I took the first shot and that was it. But, you know, you have to learn from your mistakes.”
Brown looks forward to the task. Already planning to continue the series into the summer months, she is also looking to incorporate Mt. Vernon seniors into her videos, following a short session with Tessa Freeman, a standout on the Marauders’ girls basketball team.
“She’s a senior and having to go through (the pandemic) from a student’s perspective, I could not imagine being a spring-sport athlete and seeing your time get cut away,” Brown said. “I”m just trying to include other people and their point of view. Everyone has their take on everything, and people have been super receptive about wanting to be a part of it.”
The intention is to make a difference in 60 seconds, and so far, the message has been conveyed both in front of the camera and beyond.
“I went to Mt. Comfort Elementary, so I literally have been a Marauder my whole life. It’s so cool because throughout my journey, I can think of teachers, coaches and staff members that have been a part of my life that have been encouraging to me and that helped me grow and develop into the person I am today,” Brown said. “If it wasn’t for those people, who knows where I’d be? So, it’s so cool to give back to the community and to be able to encourage students and to come full circle.”
