Students taking Digital Media and Digital Art courses at Portland Adventist Academy (PAA) had a chance to show off their work at "School Night at the Apple Store" in downtown Portland. The experience gave the students a chance to display and receive feedback from professionals, peers and parents.
Apple, mother of the Macintosh computer, the iPod and Quick Time media player, has featured more than 2,000 schools at their stores nationwide, but this was the first time the Portland Apple Store had featured a school. "We're honored to be the first, and we certainly plan to make this an annual show," said Mark Kooy, PAA's Mac Lab instructor.
PAA is considered to be one of the leaders in digital media for Adventist education. Kooy teaches students to become familiar with the tools of digital imaging, Web design, photography, and movie and commercial editing. Next school year Kooy is adding a digital broadcasting segment to the curriculum.
Many of the students are headed for college this fall. Chelsea Schroeder is one of them. "I took Mr. Kooy's digital imaging classes," says Schroeder. "I enjoyed it so much." She not only enjoyed the class, but she excelled as well. Schroeder's work earned her a $40,000 scholarship to one of Portland's local universities for her work in digital imaging and for her outstanding GPA at PAA.
Digital media is the communication tool of the future. PAA is committed to bringing those tools to its students to prepare them for their college and career experiences. "School Night at the Apple Store" is a way to show communities the commitment to quality education that Adventists have in common nationwide.
Senior Katey Humbert displayed her PAA mission brochure. The brochure features stories, pictures and facts from past mission trips taken by PAA students.
Senior Christine Escalante discusses her promotional coloring book for PAA with Barbara Plubell, Portland Adventist Elementary School sixth-grade teacher.
Mark Kooy instructs Mac Lab students (from left) Anelisse Johnson, 11th grade; Kristen Johnson, 11th grade; and Sona Hodaie, 10th grade.
