Web Design, Film Students Show Off Their Work

What do film festival posters, video games and public service announcements have in common? Well, they're each just some of the projects that students in web design and cinematography classes have been working on this semester. On Dec. 16, students from web design and film classes presented their work to fellow students, family and friends, along with some judges, at the high school's winter showcase for technology classes.

This is the second annual winter showcase, which technology teachers Debi Bender and Derek Stevenson began when they came to the high school last year.

"Since our work is digital, we don't hang papers on the classroom wall, we don't have tests to show—but our kids do work. They do amazing work," Bender said. "We hold the showcase to let kids shine, to bring in people and make connections… and to have fun. The kids have a lot of fun with this."

Bender's students created collages, multi-level video games, and posters for May's Greenville Youth Film Festival, along with two websites: one for viewing students' art online, and the other for the Ridge Record, the high school's student-run newspaper. Students presented their work via videos filmed by Stevenson's cinematography students.

Bender also revealed that students on the newspaper staff are exploring the possibility of creating an app so students can get the school paper on their phones each day.

"You've done a lot of great, authentic work, you've pushed your creative selves, and you've put your creative selves out there," Bender told her students. "I'm so proud of you."

A panel of three judges—Mick Weeks of Apple Computers, Neil Kleinmen, a University of the Arts professor, and Larry Bender, Creative Drector EMC at Drexel—were present to award first, second and third place distinctions to Bender's students who had created collages or film posters, as well as to Stevenson's students, who conceptualized, wrote, filmed and produced 30 to 60 second public service announcements on a topic of their choice.

Students chose drunk driving, teen depression, domestic abuse, teen runaways, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and epilepsy as topics to explore.

Cinematography student Eric Krok created his PSA about suicide—a very real topic to the teen, who lost his brother to suicide last year.  Stevenson lauded Krok for his honesty and professionalism following his video. Later that afternoon, Krok won first place in the cinematography competition, to the applause of his fellow students.

"These are the next true producers and filmmakers," Stevenson said of his students. "I am so proud of them."

Cinematography student Re'Ana McDougal enrolled in Stevenson's class due to her interest in modeling and all things media, she said. She worked on a public announcement for the Haiti earthquake relief with one other student.

"It's very hard, but [Mr. Stevenson] helped a lot. … I stayed after school for hours," McDougal said. "It taught me patience—it really takes a lot of time if you want to achieve something."

Of all his students, "I'm extremely proud," Stevenson said. "When we started the whole process, the 10th graders knew nothing… so seeing them produce this work is touching. It was an uphill climb, but they did it. "

Bender said her students have also grown in the level of work they've accomplished. "They really stuck with their projects, … they grew as artists and learned how to edit themselves, how to take themselves to the next level," she said. "I'm really pleased with what they've done."

Below is a list of the winning students from the showcase competition.