Eric Belland, a Van Nuys teen-ager, plans to do a “stand-up commentary” on the steps of the White House. His classmate, Patrice Tichian, said she will report from the west side steps of the

Capitol, near where President Reagan will be given the oath of office. Kim Masters is in charge of what she calls a “fluff segment” about winter in Washington, D.C. The youths, seniors from

Los Angeles Baptist High School in Sepulveda, are one of two high school groups in the country who sought and received media credentials to cover the 50th inaugural ceremonies this weekend.

For the Baptist High students, what started last fall as a government class project to put together a news show with rented video equipment has snowballed. Tonight six Baptist High seniors,

painless.” The students’ 3-month-old project, in which videotaped local news programs are produced and shown to other Baptist High classes, has already plunged the students into events such

as the President’s pre-election speech at Pierce College and Election Night activities at the GOP headquarters at the Century Plaza Hotel. Government class instructor Norman Conard, who has

experience with video production and assigned the communications project, suggested they consider covering the inauguration. Thought It ‘Just a Dream’ “We thought the inaugural was just a

dream,” said Tichian, 17, of Northridge. But, bolstered by the White House’s emphasis on youth participation in the inauguration, a reflection of the support Reagan enjoyed from young voters

last year, they applied. “When we got the phone call Wednesday that we got the credential, we just started running around screaming,” said Masters, 17 of Van Nuys, the show’s script writer.

The two high school journalism organizations in the country who applied for media credentials both received them, said Tim Pagel, of the inaugural media credential committee. The other is

Ukiah Highlighter, the student newspaper for Ukiah High School in northern California. The Baptist High group received credentials to cover Saturday’s youth leadership forum and young

Americans concert and Monday’s inaugural ceremony, parade and inaugural ball for youth. The students also plan to take their video camera to the sidewalk outside the adults’ inaugural ball

at the D.C. Convention Center, where the Frank Sinatra-produced gala will take place. “We’ll do some running commentaries on who is arriving and what seems to be going on,” Masters said. The

21 students in the government class elected the six classmates who would go to work on the inaugural. Although the private school is paying for the equipment rental, the students’ parents

are paying for a cut-rate air fare to the East and low-cost motel rooms in Falls Church, Va. “It’s just going to be go, go, go when we get there,” said Belland, 17, who has never been on a

plane before. “It’s hard to say exactly what we will be doing at each place. But the other shows we have done taught us how to work together on the spot.” Recalling an interview he conducted

with Mayor Tom Bradley on presidential Election Night, Belland said, “Once you talk to him you realize that he is just a person, no different than your parents, except he has a different

job. Once you understand the job, you can ask them questions.” “I think the politicians are really willing to do interviews with kids,” Masters said. “You know, it’s the future-voters type

of thing.” “I think we should be asking about tax credits for private school and the Supreme Court ruling,” said Lisa Hamilton, referring to this week’s court decision allowing school

officials to search students. MORE TO READ