York County is a long way from Hollywood, but once a week, 20 students at Grafton High School turn a classroom into a movie studio.
The students are members of Grafton’s film festival team, one of the newest programs offered at the school and the first all-academic state championship introduced by the Virginia High School League since 1998.
When the VHSL announced the new program in June, Director of Activities Lisa Giles said it would do three things: encourage participation, support filmmaking education and recognize student achievement in filmmaking.
Grafton film festival sponsor Josie Sevilla has seen the first two occur since the activity started at the beginning of the year, and hopes the third is soon to come.
Sevilla, who teaches Spanish at Grafton, said she was convinced to sponsor the film festival through her previous efforts to start a traditional film club at the high school.
With the film festival, Sevilla said students have the opportunity to do more than they would in the normal club.
Once a week, the students gather to watch films. This week’s selection: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
The activity does not end with the viewing. The students did not watch the film to be entertained or to see the work of director and star Ben Stiller, but rather to analyze the camera work of cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh.
Instead of simply appreciating films, the Grafton film festival students spend time each week breaking down the elements of cinema – understanding a new filming technique, studying the editing process and learning about scriptwriting.
“Each week, the members present something new,” Sevilla said. “Each person does research, and they become an expert in that area.”
Sevilla said the students who join the film festival do so for a variety of reasons, but most come because they are interested in filmmaking.
“They’re not necessarily interested in it as a career,” Sevilla said. “But it does give them the opportunity to find out if they have what it takes.”
Film festival is a competitive activity in Virginia, and participating students are invited to compete in five categories of filmmaking: narrative, commercial, animation, experimental and documentary.
Sevilla said the Grafton group had students interested in each of the five categories, and she hoped the organization would be able to submit films for each.
Although the students all share an interest in filmmaking, and some students float among the five categories, Sevilla said the types of film were each unique. Experimental film focuses on the artistry behind the images, while documentary examines people and issues.
Sevilla said the film festival students are drawing on their own experiences for inspiration. The students in the experimental film group are looking at teen issues and the gradual loss of childhood, while the documentary group is examining the lives of Grafton’s cafeteria workers.
Film festival is the newest competitive sport in Virginia schools, but Sevilla said it fits in naturally with the other activities.
“We’ve had a lot of academic VHSL teams, and many have to do with specific subject areas,” she said. “[Film] is another subject area.”
Hampton Roads Academy Receives Grant for Computer Club
A $5,000 grant to Hampton Roads Academy is allowing the school to start a student-led computer technology club.
The Virginia Students Training and Refurbishment Program gave the school $1,000 to support the club, called “Second Startup,” and provided $4,000 in computer hardware to give students a “hands-on” learning experience.
The club began this fall and allows students in HRA’s upper school to develop skills in computer technology.
“Seeing the enthusiasm in our club members and the joy of teaching students these new skills has been the most rewarding aspect of Second Startup,” club co-founder Harry Ross said in a news release. “We have even had a few who have decided that they will use the skills they’ve learned to build their own computers.”
VA STAR is a statewide program that encourages students to repair and refurbish computers by upgrading older software, along with the machines’ internal components.
The repaired computers are then donated to local families and organizations in need. Since starting in 2008, the program has partnered with 25 school divisions and is active in 45 schools.
Hampton Roads Academy Announces Winners of Faculty Award
Hampton Roads Academy announced the inaugural winners of the Wythe W. and Mary A. Holt Faculty Award.
The 2014 awards were presented to Grade 5 ESL teacher Trent Smith and Grade 7 geography and Grade 8 history teacher Pete Teagle.
The annual endowed award was created to offer teachers with plans to continue their education with the opportunity to conduct international travel expeditions and research trips.
Smith, who serves as International Residence Coordinator at HRA, plans to use his grant for a trip to China to gain a better understanding of its culture and traditions.
Teagle will travel to New Orleans to visit the National World War II Museum to research his family’s connection to the war.
“We are fortunate to have this ongoing opportunity for our faculty through the vision of the Holt family,” headmaster Peter Mertz said in a news release. “One of the key elements of excellence in our faculty is our commitment to model all of the very best traits we wish to develop in our students.”
