Michael Erives

 

Central Catholic senior Michael Erives

Michael Erives does a wicked impression of his history teacher, Mr. Howard - who also happens to be my husband. It is, in fact, so spot on that I laugh hard enough to fall out of my chair. So do his classmates who are witnesses to Michael's performance in my language arts classroom.

"Please excuse me," he pretends to be an increasingly apoplectic Mr. Howard. "How rude of me to lecture while you're trying to SHARPEN YOUR PENCIL."

Michael is small and compact and looks nothing like Mr. Howard, but somehow he captures the essence of my towering six and half foot husband barking relentlessly at students. 

This kid should be on television, I think. He's one of the most talented students I've ever taught. But there's not a chance Michael will ever appear in front of a camera. Instead, he'll be the guy behind the camera - creating the kind of magic that we've all come to practically take for granted here at GICC.

"We'll never teach another Michael Erives," my husband says. I know this is true. Someday, though, when Michael is famous for making movies, we'll tell people we taught him. If we live long enough.

"You'll be around," Michael grins. "I'll try to get my first movie out in ten years," he jokes. It's no joke to me, though. I've seen the kid's stuff, and I want to be around when he becomes a household name.

This last summer and all throughout the school year, Michael and his dad Oscar - along with their remarkably talented colleagues Brandon Krecklow and Aaron Ramirez - film the promo videos for our campaign to fund a new grade school. Michael does all the editing, and by the time each film is completed - about 15 in all - people are captivated. For almost none of the four movie makers is this a full time job, but it's most certainly a labor of love. Michael Erives is beginning to make a name for himself not only among his classmates and teachers but also in the Grand Island community.

Michael works with his dad, Oscar Erives

Development Director Jolene Wojcik has focused much of her energy on the new elementary school and is grateful for Michael's videos. She says his work in collaboration with his father has inspired videos viewed tens of thousands of times on social media.

"I am so grateful," she says, "that such a talented young man is also so dedicated to his school, his faith and his community. He will inevitably go on to do great things."

If we're only just discovering his unique abilities, however, Michael's been at his craft a long time. 

His dad Oscar Erives, now the Director of Multimedia for the Diocese of Grand Island, started a Spanish media company called Pax Christi (The Peace of Christ) many years ago. Already known for helping to launch the first Spanish radio station and also starting the first Spanish newspaper in Grand Island, Oscar has long been widely respected and admired. When he launched Pax Christi and filmed his Daily Gospel Reflections, 12-year-old Michael intently followed his father's work. One day, Oscar gave the computer with the most recent footage of Daily Gospel Reflections to Michael.

"Edit it. Get it on YouTube by five this evening."

Michael stared at him. "Me?" he said.

His father had no qualms. "Figure it out," he instructed his son.

Michael did figure it out and for the next three years edited and uploaded every video after school. Eventually he also edited his dad's 30 minute weekly program and a Wednesday video with Bishop Jim Golka - then Father Jim Golka. 

Michael's mother Nancy
and sister Idalis

"Kids at school would ask me why I didn't go out for sports," Michael recalls. "I didn't want to tell them it was because I was working every day after school. But the truth was, I loved editing."

He loves his family, too - all of them exceptional in every way. His beautiful mother Nancy is a Central Catholic para-educator beloved by students and teachers alike. Oscar, his older brother, is studying to be a professional musician and is already well known. Idalis, his older sister, is a devoted RN at Children's Hospital in Omaha. They are a tightly knit family, and Michael says his parents with their devout faith and love for their kids have made all the difference in the lives of their children.

"At our senior retreat, our parents wrote us letters. Other kids in my class were really emotional about the letters their parents wrote to them and even cried. I didn't cry," he said. "My mom and dad tell us every day how much they love us and how proud they are of us. It wasn't anything I didn't know already."

In the Hispanic culture, Michael explains, your parents are a part of you.

"When you're 60 years old, you still listen to your mom and dad. My dad still listens to his dad."

His parents are his most important role models, and Michael says he's grateful to them every day of his life. He and his brother Oscar are close, too, and have already collaborated on a few projects.

 "Oscar wants to do the music scores," Michael says, "when I finally make movies."

Michael, center, with his father Oscar,
brother Oscar, and mother Nancy

And Michael will certainly make movies. He's already filming one - entirely on his own. It's a documentary about this year's GICC volleyball state championship and Coach Sharon's Zavala's remarkable 48 year history with the award-winning program. Michael has slaved and agonized over the project for months. It's become a full time job, and he's trained himself to be fully focused and in "the zone" as he says in order to juggle the immense pressure of both school and this all-important film.

Only a couple of weeks ago, Michael was elected prom king by his classmates. Obediently, he attended the crowning ceremony, did the obligatory dance with the prom queen, then rushed home to work on his volleyball video.

"Sometimes when I'm at school, I only want to be home working on my movie. I took a couple of days off school just to work on it all day," he says. "I like to wake up to silence and stay in the zone. I might give myself five minutes to eat before I'm back at it again."

When he struggles with the many challenges that come with writing, filming, directing and editing, he says he turns to the faith his parents have instilled in all their children.

"I try to pray every night before I go to bed," he says. "I always thank God for my talents and abilities and ask him to help me to use them in a good way."  He also, he says, prays with his dad before every filming project. 

He will never abandon his love of God. After all, Michael reflects, it was through God and his father's Daily Gospel Reflections that a 12-year-old Michael Erives first discovered his passion for film making. 

"How could I ever walk away from God?" he says.

Next year, he'll study cinematography at the Johnny Carson School of Film Theater at UNL. After that - where he may choose to further his education and make his films - is still a big question mark. Michael only knows that he loves the work created by Spielberg and Christopher Nolan - two film makers who do all their own directing, writing and editing. Their films never fail to move him.

"Cinematography is the highest art form - at least I think - because it combines all the other art forms together. I only want to make meaningful films that everyone can watch."

Michael Erives

Even now, his goal is to connect with people. More than money or fame or recognition, he only wants to make some kind of impact on people's lives. He recalls that when Principal Jordan Engle watched the first capital campaign video of small children breaking ground for the new grade school, he confided to Michael that he'd been choked up. Michael liked that.

"I want people to cry a little," Michael grins. "If they cry, that's when you know you're a success."

When he was asked at a college scholarship interview what his goals and aspirations for film making were, Michael replied simply, "I want to be one of the greats."

He hates the way it sounded. Michael Erives is humble and self-deprecating to a fault. Yet, his passion and talent is undeniable. Those of us at Central Catholic who teach him and love him never for a minute doubt that Michael Erives is going places. 

In our eyes, he's already one of the greats.