"Just Don't Do It"

"Just Don't Do It" was a major video which was worked on by both students and employees of the Communications Academy. The theme of this video was to increase awareness of what could happen to underage drinkers. It was created with Sgt. A. Gerry Schramek and the Town of Carmel Police Department. Sgt. Schramek is one of our board members here at BOCES. This video premiered at the Tech Center on December 2, 1997. It will also air on local cable stations in this region and it will be included in a two part series to be shown on ABC.

Take Your Child To Work Day

Angela Fontana, Computer Graphics teacher at The Communications Academy, entertains and educates youngsters during the BOCES Bring Your Child to Work Day, held September 24, 1997. Fourteen children of employees toured the campus for the day, participating in such activities as computer graphics, taking digital photos, and a videoconference with students in another school.

The visiting youngsters were treated to breakfast, met with Regional Alternative High School Principal Dave Zurhellen, listened to Ruth Richards discuss Schools to Careers, and split up for hands-on computer graphics and TV studio demonstrations. They ate lunch with Culinary Arts instructor Stanley Rupinski and his students, and received certificates from Deputy Superintendent Renee Gargano at the end of the day.

The event was organized by Pat Sohn after BOCES could not participate last year in Ms. Magazine's "Bring Your Daughter to Work Day" event because it was observed during Easter vacation. Pictured with Angela are, left to right: Carolyn Angelo, Kevin Plunkett, John Gullen, Christine Chiara, and Allen West.Other youngsters who participated were: Brian Clark, Emily Heller, Melody West, Bridget Gallo, Evan Cohen, Steven Simonelli, Denise Chiara, Darin Rupinski, and Jacob Mancus.

Breakfast Cereal Project

Recently the students at the Communications Academy became members of advertising firms that worked on the development of new breakfast cereals. Each studio had 4, 5, or 6 total members with at least 1 person representing the commercial art, computer graphics and video departments. There were many aspects to this project and it required careful and detailed planning, allocation of human resources and a realistic timetable to insure completion on time.

To read the assignment that was given to the students, visit the Cereal Project Lesson Page. To view the advertisements and boxes, click here.

Class Projects

Students at the Communications Academy recently completed a Board Game Project. This was a project in which students from all three classes formed groups and acted as advertising agencies to come up with original board games and promotional items. Eleven groups were formed, consisting of five to eight students. Actual playable board games, packaging, print, and television advertisements were created by our students. Take a look at the great job they did.

Also check out the Board Game Project from three years ago.

Television Production

The Television Production students worked hard this school year, learning the various facets of the trade. Producing, directing, and editing were all learned through the completion of a variety of projects. For these assignments, all students use the Avid system to edit their final productions. Early in the year, students created a short video centering around a theme, where they incorporated music and photos. Second-year students then produced a short segment highlighting the Communications Academy, while first-year students worked on a stop-motion project. They created a short film using clay figures.

Although this course concentrates on the television industry and the production of professional programs, students had the opportunity to explore different areas such as film and radio. These students worked on projects that gave them a better understanding of this field of study, and a hands-on experience which reinforces their creative and technical abilities

For more information visit our T.V. Production Page.

Commercial Art

The Commercial Art students have been busy this past school year, completing various projects which will help them to build their portfolios. They started the year off with an illustration project in which they had a choice of many different mediums. Composition was explored through the 8-Parts Project in which students had to use 8 geometric shapes to create different arrangements. This project utilized various mediums such as pencil, ink, and gouache. Also, two observation drawings were completed by all Commercial Art students. These drawings are a very important part of the students' portfolios, because the art schools put a lot of emphasis on drawing skills. These drawings were completed using ebony, charcoal, and pastels. In addition, the students explored logo design and advertisement layout.

For more information visit our Commercial Art Page.

Computer Graphics

The Computer Graphics class has done quite a bit this past school year. The first-year students learned the three major graphics programs: Illustrator, Photoshop, and QuarkXPress. With these programs, the students created such things as CD covers, illustrations, self-portraits, and advertisements. In addition, they learned how to design web pages with Dreamweaver. Second-year students designed playing cards using original themes and symbols for suits, and learned a 3D animation program called Bryce 4, with which they designed surrealistic images and environments for a new video game. Flash was also learned by the second-year students in order to create animated quotes and electronic greeting cards.Lessons involving typography, color theory, and layout enabled all Computer Graphics students to successfully complete advertisements for the Board Game Project.

For more information visit our Computer Graphics Page.

Visiting Colleges

The most prestigious art schools in the area have paid visits to the Communications Academy. This is a very enriching experience for the students because they get the opportunity to speak to representatives from the schools, and find out valuable information such as costs, program information, and portfolio requirements. We have been visited by the School of Visual Arts, Parsons School of Design, The Westchester Business Institute, The Art Institute of Philadelphia,and Mercy College.