Digital Media Team Wins Second Place in Regional Skills USA TV/Video Production Competition - March 3, 2015
Digital Media seniors Brian Kowalik from North Tonawanda and Jacob Kujawa from Niagara Wheatfield placed second in the Area 1 Skills USA TV/Video Production competition at SUNY Alfred. Students spent the day competing against other students in their areas of study from Alleghany, Steuben, Monroe, Erie, Niagara, Orleans, Cattaraugus and Ontario counties.



Three Digital Media Teams Place at the Skills USA New York State Competition - April 22, 2015
Three Digital Media teams placed in the New York State SkillsUSA Competitions held in Syracuse, NY this year. Jack Gatto from Lewiston-Porter and Ryan Platt from Starpoint won first place in the 3-D Visualization and Animation competition, and will be traveling to the National Competition in Louisville, Kentucky in June. Emily Lawton from Niagara Falls and Christina Nubelo from Lockport took third place in the Digital Cinema competition, while Brian Kowalik and Jacob Kujawa took third place in the TV/Video Production competition. Students spent three days in Syracuse, meeting and competing against other students from all over New York state.

 

Digital Media Student Wins First Place in Two Categories at the NCCC Video Festival - May 16, 2015

Lucas Kates, a Digital Media junior from Lewiston-Porter, took two first place spots at the Niagara County Community College (NCCC) annual Video Festival.  The Digital Media Department at the college presented him first place in both the student Documentary and Comedy categories. Lucas was also asked to give a demonstration on stop motion animation at the festival. Lucas says some of the $400 in prize money he won at the competition he will put aside for his college education.  “I plan on attending RIT for filmmaking and I am very excited about that.  Next year I will be taking the Graphics program at the Niagara Career and Technical Education Center to enhance my skills.”

 

Digital Media Student Heads to Los Angeles for Great American NO BULL Challenge Awards - May 19, 2015

The Great American NO BULL Challenge is a global video contest that aims to spread awareness about anti-bullying and digital responsibility. NO BULL inspires youth to speak up, affect change, and demonstrate leadership skills through the creation of short films and public service announcements.

 

This year, Digital Media student Kevin Kearney, a senior from Starpoint, shared his personal story about bullying with his entry, and made it to the top 16 finalists in the national competition. This August, he is being flown to LA by the NO BULL committee to walk the red carpet at YouTube headquarters for the awards ceremony.

 

Kevin was told about his achievement during class when Ms. Licata announced it to him and his family, Niagara Career and Technical Education Center Principal Anedda Trautman, Starpoint High School Principal Gil Licata and Assistant Principal Mr. DiMaria entered the room to surprise him. “I am flabbergasted. I thought it was great - all the views and shares I got on my video. Then to find out I am going to the video awards is amazing. I always wanted to go to LA. This is just fantastic.” 

 

Digital Media Student Wins the Dr. Godshall Scholarship - June 11, 2015

Christina Nubelo of Lockport, who attends the Digital Media program at the Niagara Career and Technical Education Center, was a recipient of the Dr. Clark J. Godshall Scholarship this year. The annual $500 scholarship is given out to four career and technical students from Orleans/Niagara BOCES.  

 

Christina will be attending Villa Maria College for Animation. “I am very happy because this money will be going to something very meaningful to me, which is helping me pay for college. Being in the Digital Media program and having Ms. Licata as my teacher has been a great experience for me. I used to have a lot of doubts and now I believe in myself and my abilities. It has put me on a path to make my dreams to come true.” 

 

NCTEC 3-D Visualization and Animation team takes Bronze at National SkillsUSA Championship - June 26, 2015

Juniors Jack Gatto, from Lewiston Porter and Ryan Platt, from Starpoint, received third place in the 3-D Visualization and Animation competition at the National SkillsUSA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky. Instructor Jennifer Licata says, "Both of them are highly skilled in animation and very ambitious. They intend to work in animation or visual effects in the future, and have a thorough understanding of how challenging and competitive the field can be. I am very proud of Jack and Ryan, but not surprised at their well-deserved accomplishment."

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Two Digital Medias Students Inducted into National Technical Honor Society - October 29, 2015

Niagara Career and Technical Education Center celebrated 23 of its students who were accepted into the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) this year. Digital Media students Jack Gatto (Lewiston-Porter) and Ryan Platt (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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