Wednesday, May 25, 2011

He's Graduating and Mom's Being Deported


Many seniors look forward with nervousness to the trappings of high school graduation. It's a time of hope and uncertainty.
Cathedral City High School senior Fidel Correa is no exception, although he has a heightened sense of uncertainty.
The day after graduation, Fidel's mother, Maria, will be deported to Mexico to join Fidel's father, also named Fidel, who was taken away from their home in handcuffs by the INS on Feb. 28 and sent back to Tijuana on a bus.
"Most of the time I feel hopeless," said the 17-year-old senior who was born in the United States. "I can't control what is going on. Already I have changed my plans from going to Cal-State Long Beach and Cal-Poly Pomona, where I have been accepted. Instead, I'll be going to College of the Desert next year. Money is an even bigger issue now."
He carried a 4.2 grade point average going into this, his senior year. "My grades dropped since my Dad's arrest," said Fidel Jr., a student in the Digital Arts Technology Academy at CCHS. "I almost dropped out of school a couple times. I started seeing a psychologist, I was and continue to be treated for high blood pressure, and then my Mom miscarried at the end of April."
Fidel's parents came here illegally about 17 years ago, and have spent the past 14 years going through the permanent residency proceedings. "In 2005 when I was in eighth grade, we went before a judge who denied our case," said the CCHS student. "We began the appeal process, called stay of removal, which allowed my parents to stay in the United States."
"You always fell a sense of apprehension. My Dad was hesitant about making decisions. He turned down an opportunity to become a manager because he didn't know how long he would be allowed to stay in the U.S."
One of the options is to turn over guardianship to an uncle until Fidel turns 18 in October. The uncle would be the guardian for both Fidel and his younger brother who is 14.
Money has been transferred to Fidel's name, and he is suddenly responsible for paying the bills. Because of his father's loss of income, they have missed mortgage payments, and are trying to short sell their house.
Fidel Correa Sr. always stressed the value of education to his son. It would have been his proudest moment to see his son walk across the stage and accept his high school diploma.
Now, with his father exiled across the border and his mother ordered to join him less than 24 hours after her son graduates, June eighth will be a bittersweet moment for Fidel Correa Jr., caught in the crossfire of immigration.

DATA Students Spend The Day At UC Riverside

A campus tour, a question and answer with two playwrights, stories of challenges and success by students from two Chicano organizations, and some insight into video games and literacy by an associate professor of media and cultural studies were all on the menu Monday, May 23 when 52 Digital Arts Technology Academy sophomores and juniors spent the day at UC Riverside.

The day for the Cathedral City High School students was organized by UCR's Tony Lawrence and began with a campus tour followed later that morning by a meeting with an admissions counselor.

Playwright and UCR Professor Stu Krieger (The Land Before Time and ten original movies for the Disney Channel, including Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century and its two sequels, Tru Confessions, Smart House and Cow Belles are among his credits. He has been a story editor and writer on Spielberg’s Amazing Stories and the supervising producer on the ABC Television series Jack’s Place) told the students about his early days hustling any job he could find to be near the entertainment industry.

Associate professor Rickerby Hinds, a leading innovator in hip hop theater, talked about his recent work "Dreamscape," an interpretation of a true event based on the story of a young black women in Riverside, passed out in her car with a gun on her lap who ended up shot to death by police.

Hinds said he wrote the play from the point of view of the woman as the protagonist and the coroner as antagonist.

Later in the day, Media and Cultural Studies Associate Professor Derek Burrill talked to the DATA students about the prime importance of narrative in video games. The trip ended with a visit to the California Museum of Photography.

Monday, May 23, 2011

DATA students visit Gnomon School of Visual Effects

Over 100 eighth and ninth graders participated in a field trip to the Gnomon School of Visual Effects on Friday. The trip to the Hollywood school was sponsored by the Digital Arts Technology Academy at Cathedral City High School.
Chances are if you've seen a cool visual effect at the movies, a Gnomon graduate had a hand in it.
And what was one of the most important things those students learned? Well, all that high-tech magic is rooted in some very old fine arts.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Taylor Burns Anchors Student News Production at KPSP


The spotlight was on sophomore Taylor Burns Friday morning at KPSP Local2 as she taped the anchor segments of a news program produced by Cathedral City High School student digital storytellers that will air in early June. The program will focus on people who make a difference in Cathedral City and will include profiles on Daniel Webster from Big Mama's Restaurant, Betty Fernandez from Bridges of Hope, sculptor Michael Thiry, Healing Field activists Sue Priest and Greg Pettis, and CCHS music teacher Greg Whitmore.

Burns, who has acting experience in her high school productions, was selected to anchor the show after auditioning along with several other students at CCHS. This is the second time that students in Matt Hamilton's digital storytelling class will produce a news show for KPSP at the invitation and with the encouragement of news director Steve Minium and KPSP Vice President Don Perry.

"What Taylor did today in studio is much different than having a normal conversation," said KPSP Local2 Operations Manager John Gilhuly. "There's lighting and cameras and people running around. You're trying to read off a small screen. It's not a very natural environment. So the most important thing is that everyone off camera help the anchor feel natural in that environment.

"Taylor was awesome today. She was very natural, well-rehearsed, and followed directions perfectly."

5-13-2011



Tuesday, May 3, 2011

McQuinn Walks Away With More Awards As Supt. McCune Presides Over Her Final DigiCom


CCHS Digital Imaging Teacher Matt Cauthron, student Spencer McQuinn, student Lupita Fuentes, Digital Arts Technology Academy Coordinator Matt Hamilton.

For Cathedral City High School senior Spencer McQuinn, it was an award-filled two days.
On Sunday morning, McQuinn won the regional photography competition at the Skills USA contest in San Diego
and Monday night at DigiCom picked up an award as the DigiCom outstanding visual arts student and a $1,ooo check.
"I'm still in shock," said McQuinn, who will be entering College of the Desert in the Fall. "I never imagined when I entered high school that I would have all these amazing opportunities and receive these kinds of awards. The Digital Arts Technology Academy played a huge roll in making me the person I am today."
McQuinn is the only high school student from California that will be advancing to the Skills USA national photography competition June 20 in Kansas City, Mo.
The DigiCom event was also a tribute to outgoing PSUSD Superintendent Lorri McCune, who was instrumental in starting this showcase of student digital work three years ago.
"Three years ago, I talked to Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet about having our students get involved in the sustainability movement in the city of Palm Springs," explained McCune. "I asked him to let us make movies in connection with sustainability."
McCune shared her idea with Lee Grafton, PSUSD instructional technology specialist, and David Vogel, former head of Buena Vista Motion Pictures, and DigiCom took flight. "With the support of Lee and David and the Pinnacle Fund, we started DigiCom, a student film festival where students are given a camera and told to share their voice with the world."
The theme of this year's DigiCom was "Making A Difference," and CCHS student Lupita Fuentes won the grand prize for a theme project with her video story about Cathedral City's Healing Field. Two other CCHS students were honored Monday night, Leo Cortes for best music video, "Alive Nightmare," and Christian Ramirez for best short film, "Where's The Beef."
The event was sponsored by Time Warner, DigiCom Community Partners and the Pinnacle Fund.


2011 DIGICOM AWARD WINNERS

OUTSTANDING VISUAL ACHIEVEMENT
TIME FOR CHANGE
EVAN WILLIAMS
PALM SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL

OUTSTANDING INTERPRETATION OF THE THEME: “Make a Difference”
PANDORA’S BOX
A COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE THIRD GRADE STUDENTS OF RIO VISTA
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND THE DIGITAL IMAGING STUDENTS OF CATHEDRAL CITY HIGH SCHOOL ---DATA ACADEMY
MATT CAUTHERON - CATHEDRAL CITY HIGH SCHOOL:
DIGITAL ARTS TECHNOLOGY ACADEMY
JOEL BIBLE - RIO VISTA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL : GRADE 3
Sabrina Molhoek – Rio Vista Elementary School: GRADE 3
LOUISA CASTRODALE – PSUSD VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS SPECIALIST

THE TIME WARNER COLLECT A MILLION MINDS S.T.E.M. AWARD
GROASIS WATERBOXX PROJECT
PETE AHEARN –SCIENCE SPECIALIST PSUSD
NINA SHINE- DESERT HOT SPRINGS ALTERNATIVE CENTER

BEST THEME PROJECT: ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN SOUTH AFRICA
MARSHA BORING AND STUDENTS
RANCHO MIRAGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

BEST THEME PROJECT MIDDLE SCHOOL
DESERT HOT SPRINGS VORTEXES
JACQUE COBLE AND STUDENTS
DESERT SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL

BEST THEME PROJECT HIGH SCHOOL
SAVE A PET
ANGELICA LICEA
DESERT HOT SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL


GRAND PRIZE FOR THEME PROJECT: BEST ALL GRADE LEVEL
HEALING FIELD
LUPITA FUENTES
CATHEDRAL CITY HIGH SCHOOL
DIGITAL ARTS TECHNOLOGY ACADEMY

BEST SHORT FILM
WHERE’S THE BEEF
CHRISTIAN RAMIREZ
CATHEDRAL CITY HIGH SCHOOL
DIGITAL ARTS TECHNOLOGY ACADEMY

BEST MUSIC VIDEO
ALIVE NIGHTMARE
LEO CORTES
CATHEDRAL CITY HIGH SCHOOL
DIGITAL ARTS TECHNOLOGY ACADEMY

BEST VIDEO ADDRESSING BULLYING
WHO ARE YOU?
KAI LYLES AND THE STUDENTS OF THE BULLYING CAMPAIGN
DESERT HOT SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL

THE GOLDEN REEL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN EXEMPLIFYING THE THEME
KENDRA ONGALIBANG
DESERT HOT SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL

2011 OUTSTANDING DIGITAL ARTS STUDENT
SPENCER McQUINN
CATHEDRAL CITY HIGH SCHOOL
DIGITAL ARTS TECHNOLOGY ACADEMY

Monday, May 2, 2011

CCHS Student Wins $4,000 Photo Scholarship



Cathedral City High School sophomore Taylor Burns earned the 2nd place grand prize of a $4,000 scholarship for her creative photography at the Spotlight Awards Scholarships held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles Saturday night.
"Every time before I go up to bat for my softball team, I say a prayer,"said Burns. "This photo contains some of the things that I pray about before stepping into the batter's box."
The judges compared her picture to Duane Michals, a photographer who blended pictures and words in the 1960s. "The judges said they liked the fact that my picture was unusual in terms of coloring and the shadowing of my words.
"I'm buying a Mac computer and a really good camera with the money," said Burns. She is interested in majoring in communications at Cal-State San Bernardino.
Taylor is not just a photographer; she also writes free verse poetry.