Student Staff  >

E. Frank Bluestein is the chairman of the Fine Arts Department at Germantown High School. He is founder and director of the school's theatre, the Poplar Pike Playhouse, and also serves as executive producer for the school's three million dollar educational television facility. In 1998, USA Today named Mr. Bluestein as one of the top 40 teachers in the United States. Two years earlier, he was selected as the 1996 Disney and McDonalds National Performing Arts Teacher of the Year. In 1994, Mr. Bluestein was chosen to serve as Tennessee's Teacher of the Year. He is a past winner of the American Theatre Association's John C. Barner Award, a national award given to one secondary school teacher whose theatre program is judged most exemplary for the year. Mr. Bluestein has served as an arts advisory panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, the College Board Arts Advisory Committee, the Council of Chief State School Officers and the Tennessee Arts Commission. He is a former president of both the Tennessee Alliance for Arts Education and the Germantown Arts Alliance. Mr. Bluestein supervises the theatre division of the Tennessee Arts Academy, a statewide teacher training institute. He was named to Memphis Magazine's "Who's Who in Memphis" poll and was presented a community service award for his accomplishments in education by the National Conference of Christians and Jews. Under Mr. Bluestein's leadership, the studios of GHS-TV have received more than 100 first place Hometown Video USA Awards, 17 regional and 2 national Student Emmy Awards, as well as a Cable Ace Award nomination. In 1984, he helped the Germantown High School Fine Arts Department become one of eight secondary schools in the nation chosen to receive the prestigious Rockefeller Brothers Fund Arts in Education Award. Mr. Bluestein has served as a director of shows at Opryland, USA and most recently wrote and directed the musical review Beale Street Saturday Night starring blues legend Joyce Cobb. He is a frequent speaker and writer on arts-related issues.

Bobby Ramsay is a 2004 graduate of Germantown High School. As a senior in the GHS Fine Arts Department, Mr. Ramsay served as general manager of GHS-TV and as lighting director of Wake Up, Germantown!, won a National Student Television Award of Excellence from the organization that presents television's coveted Emmy awards. In 2008, Mr. Ramsay graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science in Electronic Media Production. Mr. Ramsay served as an intern for News Channel 5 and has worked freelance in the Nashville area. Some of his freelance projects include the 2008 Nashville Regional Emmy awards and Soundcheck: Season 2, which highlights musical groups from the Nashville and Murfreesboro area.

Allison Long is in her ninth year on the Fine Arts Department staff. A 1994 graduate of Germantown High School, Mrs. Long appeared in the Poplar Pike Playhouse productions of The Nerd, Once On This Island, and Can't Stop Dancin'. Mrs. Long attended Baylor University where she received a B.B.A. in Broadcasting. Before returning to Germantown, she worked with Susquehanna Broadcasting, CBS Promotions Group and ABC Radio in Dallas. Mrs. Long currently teaches Communication Arts and Introduction to Film & Video.

Ted Beasley joined the GHS-TV staff in 2006 after spending two years as the sports editor of the Evening Times newspaper. His sports section won five state awards in his two years. Mr. Beasley's feature pieces on a football team overcoming the near death of a teammate and of the fine line fathers must watch while coaching their own children each garnered top honors. Mr. Beasley earned B.A.s in Broadcast Journalism and Technical Writing from the University of Memphis. In 2002, he received the university's Outstanding Broadcast Student award. Beasley spent six months as an intern with Memphis' CBS affiliate. He is a 1998 graduate of White Station High School.

Rich Pence is a native of Montana who has lived and worked all over the country including New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Mr. Pence has a Bachelor of Arts in Theater/Communications & Film Production from University of Memphis and is currently working on his Master of Arts Education at Union University. He lives in Collierville with his wife, Amy, and their 2 daughters. In his spare time, Mr. Pence enjoys painting and running.

Ryan Sweeney is a 2006 graduate of Germantown High School. During his time as a student at the GHS Fine Arts Department, Mr. Sweeney served as programming director of GHS-TV and played numerous roles in PPP productions, including Ragtime, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge. In 2010, Mr. Sweeney graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Arts in Telecommunication and Film with an emphasis on Broadcast News. During his time at Alabama, Mr. Sweeney served as an intern for WVUA-TV where he interviewed numerous high ranking public officials in Alabama. He also interned with Tuscaloosa City Schools producing reports for the show Inside the City Schools.

Rob Manuel is a 1985 graduate of Germantown High School. Mr. Manuel first entered the Fine Arts program his sophomore year, playing bass guitar for the Poplar Pike Playhouse musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He soon joined the student staff as the sound engineer for the Poplar Pike Playhouse and GHS-TV. Upon winning the Germantown Festival Fine Arts Scholarship, Mr. Manuel pursued studies in electronics and broadcast technology at State Technical Institute and classical guitar at Memphis State University. He has spent his professional career in full time ministry installing PA systems, producing audio recordings and television broadcasts for local area churches. Having volunteered his help at the PPP over these past 25 years, Mr. Manuel is thrilled to join the staff full time here at Germantown High School. He is a pilot and enjoys flying, playing and recording his own music, cooking, and raising his three children.

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