More than 50 students converged upon Athens in July week for the Media High School Summer Workshop at Ohio University. The Scripps College of Communication School of Media Arts and Studies sponsored the event, and most sessions took place in the new Schoonover Center.
Participants came from seven states, including California, Alabama and New Jersey. “We expected campers to come only from Ohio, but word spread and we were delighted to attract students from across the country,” said workshop Director Karen Riggs, a professor in the School of Media Arts and Studies.
“The depth of enthusiasm that these young media makers demonstrated was inspiring,” she added. “Most students are incoming seniors, and we cannot wait to see many of them on the Athens campus next year.”
Riggs said demand surpassed facility accommodations. “As Schoonover Center construction advances, we hope to be able to add space for more students next year,” she said. “It was hard to turn applicants away but a pleasant surprise that so many people wanted to be part of things.”
Kyle P. Snyder, also an instructor in the school, served as associate director of the camp. “Each participant brought a unique and creative spirit, which made for a collaborative and powerful educational experience,” he said. “Seeing what these students created after just meeting and spending mere hours together is a testament to our fantastic instructors and to the talent of these future media creators.”
“I’ve been planning on going into audio production and recording at OU for a while, but I’ve never known how to get started,” said workshop participant Alana Baldwin, who will be an Athens High School junior this Fall. “The camp gave me the knowledge and experience to really get going on my career.”
While on campus, students participated in four hands-on workshops: video production, music recording, animation and social media. Four school instructors conducted the workshops, assisted by student ambassadors from MDIA. High school students also created a mock newscast in the WOUB studios.
Campers also participated in social events, including a walking tour of the Ridges and a mixer with campers from the School of Journalism workshop. They roomed in a dorm on East Green and dined at Nelson Commons, feeling the ambience of the Athens campus.
On the final day of camp, students gathered in the Scripps Auditorium to view and listen to their individual and group projects. Each of the four groups created an animation from their individual drawings, recorded an original song written by a student in the group, and produced a television segment that helped create an entire narrative episode during the workshop.
As they departed, many noted that they had made social media connections with new friends, whom they hoped to meet again as OU students.
Camp instructors included MDIA faculty members Josh Antonuccio, audio engineering leader; Kate Raney, animation leader; Jeremy Bessoff, video leader; and Riggs, social media leader.
Olivia Powers, coordinator among the four MDIA student ambassadors, praised the campers for their work ethic. “They were engaged, enthusiastic and curious about the various fields of media,” she said. “The students consistently impressed all the ambassadors.” Her fellow ambassadors were Tyler Blust, Hanna Cimperman and Brett Maszczak.
Drew McDaniel, director of the School of Media Arts and Studies, said camps like this one make an impact on media programs.
“The School of Media Arts & Studies profits by exposing interested high school students to the professional and academic possibilities of work in media,” said McDaniel. “It allows us to identify and possibly recruit to study in our school some of the best and most media savvy high school students across the US. Students gain by developing ideas about career possibilities in their field of interest while having a fun time exploring life on a college campus.”
See work produced by workshop students, workshop photos, and their Twitter archive at mediaschool.ohio.edu/hsmw-news
Press:
- Summer Workshop At OU Aims To Teach Media Makers Of The Future – The Athens News
- Scripps’ High School Journalism, Media Workshops under way at OHIO – Scripps College
Original article by Media Arts & Studies staff.
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