What Will Middle School Be Like?

ADVICE FROM THE EXPERTS

Is everything my older brother told me true? Will I have too much homework? Will the older students really stuff me in a locker?

Students at Stockbridge Middle School(SMS) worked with their Graduation Coach, Ronda Kustick, to create a video that addresses the fears and myths 5th grade students might have as they prepare for that all important transition from elementary to middle school. Mrs. Kustick knew the importance of these new 6th graders make a successful start to their middle school career. She created the project and worked with her current students to involve them with the full production, from script to filming, in a partnership with a team from Georgia Public Broadcasting to get out the important messages.

The student hosts for the video explain some of the differences from elementary school, i.e. changes classes, what homework is really like, the opportunity to take Connections Classes (Technology, P.E., Chorus, Band, Music and Art). No one in this group has ever been stuffed into a locker, and everyone at the school is ready and willing to help the new students. The Graduation Coach along with academic and sports advisors are just some of the folks available to answer questions. Advice from Robert, one of the actors: "Listen to what the teachers say because they mean well and they are preparing you for high school".

STUDENT AND PARENT REACTION
What did this year's SMS students think about the video project esperience?
Mandy:
"Filming a video is one of the most amazing things I have done. Our patience and acting skills were tested. There were many things we had to do, but it was enjoyable and exciting."

Imjei:
"I learned that it takes a lot to make one movie. It was all an amazing experience, one that was fun and interesting. It was tiring doing our lines over and over, but worth the experience. It's very cool to be a kid-celebrity in school. I enjoyed the chanllenge and the worth-while experience".

Mrs. Kustick reports that the video was well received by all the rising 6th graders and their parents who got to view the video in early May.

For more information on this project, contact:
Ronda Bowe Kustick
Middle School Graduation Coach
Stockbrige Middle School
770.474.5710

View the video.

Slide Show from Stockbridge Middle School

Georgia Student Media Festival

Student Work Judged at Annual Media Festival

May 1, 2009, over 160 judges assembled at Georgia Public Broadcasting to begin the process of reviewing work from over 1,100 of Georgia's K-12 students. This 33rd year of the Georgia Student Media Festival (GSMF) allowed groups of educators, media specialists, instructional technology specialists and university students to review the student produced media projects that had already earned high scores in competition at both the local building and system levels. The projects are organized into categories that include: Live Action, Animation, Sequential Stills, Electronic Picture Book, Electronic Photographic Essay, Interactive Stills and Website.

Student projects submitted to the state level of competition are awarded rankings of Superior (96-100), Merit (90-95) or Participation (Below 90). Projects are judged on their own merits for excellence in production, writing, creativity, lighting and impact. Students whose work earns a Superior at the state level will be entered into competiton at the International Student Media Festival (ISMF). Deborah Hargroves, IMSF Coordinator, says that Georgia is always well represented at this highest level of competition.

These instructional technology and media projects provide students with a creative outlet, along with:
*opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of technology
*an outlet to extend the learning beyond the classroom
*opportunity for self-expression
*another pathway for student success

Michelle Linderman

Deborah Gray (Gwinnett Co. Schools) and Michelle Lenderman (Bibb Co. Schools) served as C0-Chairs for the 2009 GSMF. Dr. Gordon Baker, Director, Libraries at Clayton State University Library, served on the leadership team. Joni Jones (Rockdale Co. Schools) designed the GSMF website.

Deborah Gray (GSMF) and Marylyn Stansbury, Director of Education & Outreach, GPB

Some of the Judging Stations

The Georgia Student Media Festival is sponsored by the Georgia Association for Instructional Technology, Inc. (GAIT), and the Georgia Library Association (GLA), in partnership with Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB).

Tell Your Students' Stories!

Share Successes and Challenges

Georgia Public Broadcasting, in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Education and Communities in Schools of Georgia, is gathering stories and interviews as well as video and audio clips that reflect the journey that middle and high school students make toward the goal of high school graduation.

We know that one story may not look like another. We welcome them all! We are particularly interested in user-generated content, especially student-created, multi-media videos, interviews, etc. of their academic struggles and successes. Let us hear the stories of those individuals or groups who have made a difference in the lives of the students.

If you would like to feature your students, your school and your efforts to impact the graduation rate across the state, please share this message with those in your school who can bring this project to life - especially the students themselves!

*Submissions can be sent in the following formats:
Digital Pictures: JPG, GIF or PNG
**Video Clips (30 min. or less): MOV, AVI, MPEG or WMV
Audio Clips: MP3

**Steps for Direct Upload for Video Content
GPB has now made it even easier for you to share your Georgia Graduation Stories.
Go to the link to directly upload your video.

Follow these simple instructions:
1. Register for an account. We will never share your information with third parties.
2. Log in
3. Fill out the simple form.
4. Done!

We'll receive a notification that you've uploaded a video. Once we approve it, you'll see it on this website!

The final product will be available in a variety of new media formats, including GPB's Georgia Graduation Stories blog:
http://georgia-gradstories.blogspot.com

Contact:
Barbara O'Brien
Curriculum Contnet Specialist
Georgia Public Broadcasting
bobrien@gpb.org
404.685.2545

*PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU FOLLOW YOUR LOCAL SCHOOL AND/OR DISTRICT'S PROTOCOL FOR MEDIA RELATIONS/MATERIAL PUBLICATION

Chinese Food

New Experiences with Chinese Food and Video Cameras

Have you ever tried REAL Chinese food? Have you mastered the art of using chopsticks? What manners do you use in a country not your own?

Using Flip video cameras seven Georgia high school students spent an evening in a Chinese restaurant trying to master both the cuisine and the technology of video taping each other as they prepared for the upcoming trip to China.


The Youth Art Connection is a program of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. Director Rebeca DesMarais, provided the following description of The Beijing Program:
The Beijing Program includes an international children's art exhibition - "Peace, Goodwill and Friendship through the Olympic spirit"-, a trip to China in June, 2008, and the interaction with the Xi'an Terracotta Warrior at the High Museum of Art in fall/winter 2008-2009. International Paint Pals, a program of the Youth Art Connection and a part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta's Arts & Cultural Enrichment Program, is organizing the children's exhibition and is facilitating the overall Beijing Program. The trip to Beijing will coincide with the opening of the exhibition in Beijing, China on June 1, China's National Children's Day. Seven Boys & Girls club high school members have been selected to participate in The Program. The Beijing Program began in January, 2008 with monthly preparation meetings and extends into fall 2008 to coincide with the Terracotta Warriors Exhibition. On the June Trip, members will visit the ancient capitol of China, Xi'an, to the the terracotta Warriors firsthand and will then share their experiences with other Club members in the fall of 2008 as field trip "guides" on visits to the High Museum.

Students Overcome Obstacles to Success

Thomson High School Youth Conference

Pat Farner is the Graduation Coach at Thomson High School in McDuffie County. In January, 2008, she organized a Youth Conference for her students. The conference theme was "Overcoming Obstacles to Success". During the event, students that Pat works with shared the challenges that they face in successfully completing high school education. Their personal strength and determination along with support from families, friends, Thomson High School faculty and Pat, their Graduation Coach, were resources they could call upon to make a difference in successfully reaching education goals.

Thank you to Pat and Thomson High School for providing the videotape from the Youth Conference.

Transition from Elementary to Middle School

A Day in the Life

At the end of the school year, most students thing about their summer vacation. For students making the transition from Elementary to Middle School, those dreams of summer fun can be interrupted by nightmares of what the first days of middle school might be like. Will they get on the right school bus? What they make the right decision about that first day of school outfit to wear? The worst fear for some is the school locker.

The faculty, students and staff of Richard Hull Middle School in Gwinnett County addressed these fears with a video project called A Day in the Life. This engaging and Cine award winning video plays out the fears that 6th grade students might have. It then shows the potential students what to expect in a real first day of Middle School. There is even a happy ending to the school locker adventure.
A video clip from A Day in the Life is provided here through the courtesy of Richard Hull Middle School. More information on this project can be found at the school's website. Christopher Gegen wrote and directed the project.


Enjoy those summer dreams!

It's Not Over Until the Fat Lady Sings - or Dies

First row (L-R): Maribel Montgomery, Dylan Brooks, Kayla Brown, KayC Wilson, Kristen Pickren, Mark Lawson, Vinny Edwards, Whitney West, Terri Greene.
Back row (L-R): Steven Beam, DeLucus Moore, Wes Seabolt, Alicia Duncan, Meggan Pierce.

Report by Shirley Dillard

MCHS Choral Students Re-enact Operatic Death Scenes

Madison County High School choral students were treated by Georgia Public Broadcasting to free passes to see the "Live from the Met" broadcast of Manon Lescaut at a local theater. Relative novices to the world of grand opera, the students commented on the length of time the heroine, dying of thirst on a plain in Louisiana, was able to sing. Their director Shirley Dillard capitalized on their interest by creating a project that timed the dying scenes of heroes and heroines in opera. Teams were instructed to find a synopsis of an assigned opera to find out who died, how and why they died. They then listened to the death scene and timed how long it took the character to die. The students arrived at a subsequent class ready to "die as their character died" for the above photo.

The mortally wounded characters, the means of their death and the length of their death scene in the first row (L-R) are Isolde (broken heart, 23 mins. 2 secs.) with Tristan (sword fight, 3 mins. 25 sec.); Suor Angelica (poison, 3 mins.); Manon Lescaut (dehydration, 20 mins.); Silvio in Pagliacci (stabbed, 40 secs.); Blanche in Dialogues des Carmélites, (guillotined, 9 mins. 41 secs.) In the back row (L-R) are Werther (self-inflicted gunshot, 13 mins. 19 secs.); Carmen (stabbed, 1 min.); and the Witch in Hänsel und Gretel, (immolation, 32 secs.).

And the winner is…. (drum roll, please)…. Isolde, who takes a full three minutes longer to die than does Manon Lescaut.

Project Description

From the Metropolitan Opera website:

The Met’s experiment of merging film with live performance has created a new art form,” said the Los Angeles Times of the groundbreaking series of live, high-definition performance transmissions to movie theaters around the world. The series enjoyed box office success, reaching an estimated audience of more than 325,000 viewers. In 2007-08, the Met offers its second season of international HD transmissions…

Click here for more information on the Metropolitan Opera.

Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) shared a set of 10 tickets for each of the Met’s High Definition performances at selected theaters with interested Georgia music educators and their students. The Georgia Music Educators Association through the current Chair of Choral Music ( Renee Wilson-Wicker) collaborated on the coordination of this opportunity.

It allows the Georgia educators and students to benefit from a project that combines the best resources of one of America’s finest cultural institutions with new technology.

Participation in the project supports the QCC Fine Arts Standards and GPS Viewing Standards.

Click here for more information on the Georgia Music Educators Association.

We Want Your Videos!

GPB has now made it even easier for you to share your Georgia Graduation Stories. Just go to:

http://gpb.org/education/videoupload

And follow these simple instructions:

1. Register for an account (we will never share your information with third parties because we hate spam just as much as you do).
2. Login
3. Fill out the simple form.
4. Done!

We'll receive a notification that you've uploaded a video. Once we approve it, you'll see it on this website!

Georgia Youth Create Art

Visit A Virtual Gallery Highlighting the Art of Georgia Students

For the third year, Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) and the Georgia Art Education Association have collaborated to turn the Capitol Art Exhibit into a virtual gallery once the annual display at the Twin Towers in Atlanta is dismantled. GPB assigns a photographer to take pictures of the selected work submitted by students from all over Georgia and their art teachers. The photographs are then added to GPB's Digital Library along with the artist's name, age, school and the name of the art teacher. In this way, the annual Capitol Art Exhibit lives on beyond the one month it was on view in Atlanta. A virtual gallery allows students, parents and educators to view these special creations in an on-demand setting.

Click here to connect to GPB's Digital Library. You can click on the thumbnail to create a larger image of the work.

The Capitol Art Exhibit is an annual event cosponsored by the Georgia Art Education Association and the Office of the Secretary of State and is the premier event of Youth Art Month. The purpose of the exhibit is to share with Georgia legislators and the public the exceptional creative ability of Georgia's students.

Click here to learn more about the Georgia Art Education Association.

Free Screenigs of Youth Media Projects

Here is an announcement from Phoebe Brown, Independent Producer and former GPB Intern for C-47: GA Short Film Showcase. She has two projects in the Teen Screen schedule of the '08 Atlanta Film Festival. Details below:

I have two projects from Niklas Vollmer's Community Based Media Project I produced, shot by refugee teens @ Clarkston High School. The student director for both projects is Yonatan Araya who is a junior at Clarkston High School. He is an Eritrean refugee. He has been a volunteer at Sopo bikes for 2 years and is interested in filmmaking and bike racing.

No More War in the Teen Screen: Born in the USA Program

Monday April 14^th @ 12:30pm Landmark Midtown #8

SOPO Bikes: A Community Bike Shop in the Teen Screen: Teens Speak Up and Speak Out! Program

Tuesday April 15^th @ 4:30pm Landmark Midtown #8

Rachael, an Emory grad, directs the Sopo Bicycle Cooperative. She says that Yonatan came to
them as an intern a couple summers ago and has been there ever since as a
member of the organizing collective, bike mechanic, youth mentor, and all
around superstar. We're so proud of him.















Sopo Bicycle Cooperative is a 501(c)3 nonprofit community bicycle repair shop. Our mission is to create equitable access to bicycling by providing affordable bicycle maintenance, services, and education. At our shop anyone can repair their own bike, help others with their repairs, learn about bike maintenance, become a volunteer, and donate to the cause. No experience is necessary! Our volunteers will help you. Show up with your bike during our operating hours and we'll get to work together! The Sopo shop is located in the East Atlanta Village. Click here to visit the Sopo website.

Phoebe's invitation: If you've got middle or high school aged kids (or friends who do) these are great free screenings. Also useful for anyone teaching production or doing work on new media/youth. Please pass along to anyone who might be interested.

Click here for information on the Midtown Art Cinema
Atlanta, GA

Click here for information on the Atlanta Film Festival

Share Your Story

Share Successes and Challenges

Here is an opportunity for community members, educators, parents and students. We are gathering stories, interviews, as well as video and audio clips that reflect the journey that middle and high school students make towards the goal of high school graduation.

We know that one story may not look like another. We welcome them all! We are particularly interested in "user-generated" content, especially student-created, multi-media videos, interviews, etc. of their academic struggles and successes. Let us hear the stories of those individuals or groups who have made a difference in the lives of the students.

*Submissions can be sent in the following formats:
Digital Pictures: JPG, GIF or PNG
**Video Clips (30 min. or less): MOV, AVI, MPEG or WMV
Audio Clips: MP3

**Steps for Direct Upload for Video Content
GPB has now made it even easier for you to share your Georgia Graduation Stories.
Go to the link to directly upload your video.

Follow these simple instructions:
1. Register for an account. We will never share your information with third parties.
2. Log in
3. Fill out the simple form.
4. Done!

We'll receive a notification that you've uploaded a video. Once we approve it, you'll see it on this website!

The final product will be available in a variety of new media formats, including GPB's Georgia Graduation Stories blog:
http://georgia-gradstories.blogspot.com

Contact:
Barbara O'Brien
Curriculum Contnet Specialist
Georgia Public Broadcasting
bobrien@gpb.org
404.685.2545

*PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU FOLLOW YOUR LOCAL SCHOOL AND/OR DISTRICT'S PROTOCOL FOR MEDIA RELATIONS/MATERIAL PUBLICATION