High school is a time of growth, exploration, and self-discovery. For students in the Greater Essex County District School Board’s arts and culture Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSM) program, Thursday, Nov. 2, was an opportunity to get hands-on experience working with faculty and senior students in the School of Creative Arts.

“Organizing this event for these students was a fantastic way to broaden their horizons and foster a deeper appreciation for the arts,” says Sheri Lowrie, recruitment and outreach co-ordinator in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

More than 110 students completed two certification workshops while on site at the Armouries building and the Alan Wildeman Centre for the Arts. They were able to choose between sessions on lighting for sets and selfies, stop motion animation, advanced training in a technique, writing music for film, studio microphone technique, portfolio development and video editing. These sessions provided students with hands-on experience to develop their artistic skills and knowledge.

“Having students interacting with other high school SHSM students, asking questions to our upper-year student leaders, and learning from our talented professors made this event a memorable day,” says Lowrie. “It is an opportunity like this that allows a Grade 11 or 12 student to really see themselves as a UWindsor student.”

Professor Vincent Georgie shared a session with the students on event planning, with his role as executive director of the Windsor International Film Festival as the main topic. This was an invaluable experience for students to be immersed in WIFF at SoCA facilities and enjoy a private screening of I’m Here for the Riot. Watching this film helped them look at lighting a different way, hear the music within the film from a new perspective, and have a sense of a large-scale, successful art event in the Windsor community.

“It’s a conference like this that SoCA hopes will contribute to the personal and artistic growth of young minds, fostering a lifelong appreciation for the arts and culture,” says acting director Bruce Kotowich. “We want these local SHSM students to be open to the world of creativity, artistic expression, and career opportunities in the arts.”