DATA Students Volunteer at Palm Springs International Film Festival

For the second year in a row, DATA students worked as volunteers at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Vamping for the camera on January 16 at the Regal Theater between manning the ticket lines and collecting ballots are (left to right) Hector Gutierrez, Carlos Valdez, and Karen Lopez.

Digital Storytelling Workshop Kicks Off

Sixteen certificated staff, including teachers, specialists, and administrators, took part in a digital storytelling workshop Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010 at Cathedral City High School.

Led by Digital Arts Technology Academy Coordinator Matt Hamilton, media mentor David Vogel, and education technology specialist Lee Grafton. The initial workshop covered concepts of digital storytelling, brainstorming a story, and building a story using Apple applications iMovie, Garageband, iPhoto and iTunes.

All participants in the workshop will be submitting a project for for the Digicom Showcase, May 4, 2010, 6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. at Palm Springs High School.

Above, teacher Jennifer O’Connor (left) and PSUSD English Language Arts Specialist Kim Monnie discuss their storyboards.

Palm Springs Film Festival Hosts Students

Two hundred DATA students from Cathedral City High School joined other high school students from around the valley as special guests of the Palm Springs International Film Festival Wednesday Jan. 6, 2010 at Palm Springs High School.

Coordinated by PSIFF Education coordinator Deborah Dearth, students saw a screening of "Samson and Delilah" in the morning, a story about a young aboriginal couple facing cultural hurdles.

After lunch hosted by Chipotle, the students watched "The Most Dangerous Man in America; Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers." "Most Dangerous" co-producer Judith Ehrlich (left) participated in a question and answer session with students following the viewing.

DATA Student Captures All The Action From The Sidelines

DATA photojournalist Gabe Jimenez worked the sidelines this fall, capturing all the action of Cathedral City's new Junior Football League. At left is just one example of this work.

DATA Students Document Grand Opening of Tolerance Education Center

DATA students filmed the grand opening of the Tolerance Education Center in Rancho Mirage Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. In November, DATA students interviewed Holocaust survivors in the first of an ongoing project to document the lives of survivors.

At left, DATA students Lupita Fuentes, Laura Padilla, and Gleidy Isais interview Rep. Mary Bono Mack.

Tolerance Education Center Opening, Rancho Mirage, CA from Matt Hamilton on Vimeo.

DATA Students Visit Morris Desert Media

DATA students are involved in a variety of enrichment activities throughout the year. During the first semester, in an event arranged by Director of Programming and Operations John McMullen, DATA journalism students visited Morris Desert Media Group to learn about jobs in front and behind the microphone in the radio business.

One of the highlights of the day for the DATA students was visiting with DJ Ant Dog, who had the students record a promo during his studio show.

DATA graduates Denisse Gonzalez and Nondi Johnson have interned the past two summers for KNEWS radio.

DATA Students Interview Holocaust Survivors

Frances Nassau (left) was one of three Holocaust survivors that were interviewed by DATA journalism students at the Tolerance Education Center in Rancho Mirage on Nov. 18, 2009. Nassau survived her time in four different concentration camps during World War II.

Katherine Gruen and Gabriella Gartner were the other two survivors that were interviewed by the students.

Ann Phillips of the Tolerance Education Center hosted the forum.