Digital Media Program Changes Name
The Digital Media program is now known as Animation and Video Production. We felt the name Digital Media was becoming too ambiguous for students to really understand the content of the program, and might be easily confused with our Graphic Communications program. The new name specifically states what we do, so will hopefully serve to alleviate any confusion as to what is taught in the course.

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AVP Students’ Documentary Highlights Asha Sanctuary
Two students in the Animation and Video Production program at the Niagara Career and Technical Education Center took a topic they were passionate about and turned it into a class project.  When assigned a documentary film project, Ryan Platt and Elaine Stickney decided to work together and mesh Ryan’s interest in veganism with Elaine’s passion for animal rights to use as their theme.  They visited Asha Sanctuary in Newfane, which provides a safe haven for rescued farmed animals that have suffered from the food industry.  

The documentary can be seen on the Buffalo Vegan Society Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Buffaloveg/posts/948278825227667?fref=nf. Tracy Murphy, founder of Asha, was very pleased with the work the students did.  “I can’t thank Ryan and Elaine enough for featuring our sanctuary in their wonderful and educational documentary.  These very talented students truly captured the love and joy that our lucky residents experience every day of their life at the sanctuary.” 

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Two AVP Teams Win Gold at the Skills USA New York State Competition - April 28, 2016
Two Animation and Video Production teams won first place in the New York State SkillsUSA Competitions held in Syracuse, NY this year. Jack Gatto from Lewiston-Porter and Cameron Calandra from Starpoint won first place in the 3-D Visualization and Animation competition, and Ryan Platt from Starpont and Connor Minkiewicz from Niagara Wheatfield took first in the Digital Cinema competition. Both teams will be travelling to the SkillsUSA National Competition in Louisville, Kentucky in June. 

 

NCTEC AVP Student Wins Matt Puchlerz Memorial Scholarship in Honor of Former NCTEC Graphic Communications Student - May 18, 2016

Ryan Platt of Starpoint, who attends the Animation and Video Production program at the Niagara Career and Technical Education Center, was the recipient of the fifth annual Matt Puchlerz Memorial Scholarship. The annual $1000 scholarship is designed for graduating seniors who plan to continue their education in the fields of web design or digital media arts. It was founded by the family of former NCTEC Graphic Communications student Matt Puchlerz, who passed away unexpectedly of Sudden Cardiac Death on September 1, 2010, at the age of 25. Ryan plans to continue his education this fall at RIT, majoring in Animation.

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NCTEC 3-D Visualization and Animation team takes Silver at National SkillsUSA Championship - June 24, 2016

The 3-D Visualization and Animation team of Cameron Calandra, a senior from Starpoint, and Jack Gatto, a senior from Lewiston-Porter, took second place in the 3-D Visualization and Animation competition at the National SkillsUSA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky. The students competed against the best of the best from every state. Cameron will be attending the Rochester Institute of Technology to study Motion Picture Science, and Jack will be going to Daeman College to major in Animation.

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Two AVP Students Inducted into National Technical Honor Society - October 27, 2016

Niagara Career and Technical Education Center celebrated 30 of its students who were accepted into the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) this year. Animation/Video Production students Hope Flanders (Niagara Wheatfield), Elliot Spitzer (Roy-Hart)  and Vincent Monaco (Starpoint) were among the students inducted. In order to qualify, students must be members of SkillsUSA, have excellent or perfect attendance, an excellent disciplinary record, and maintain an average of 90 or better in their Career and Technical program, as well as an overall average of 85 or better at their district. 

 

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