Four classes from the Niagara Career and Technical Education Center recently spent a day on campus at Villa Maria College.
Teachers Jennifer Manning (Animation, Film & VFX), Michelle LeFauve (Web Development and Game Programming), Susan Staddon (Graphic Communications) and Debbie Wilczak (Fashion Design and Interior Decorating) says the college, which offers 22 degree programs in art, liberal arts and professional studies was a great place for the students to start thinking about their future plans. “We toured the college collectively, and then broke out into the workshops specific to our programs,” explains Staddon. “The Graphic Design professor gave a presentation, and prepared a hands-on exercise for us to critique. We then toured the department of current students’ work.”
“My students toured the furniture design studio where the instructor, Jesse Walp, showed them current projects that design students are working on,” says Wilczak. “The students learned about sketching furniture, building 3D models and furniture, bending wood and metal, and the design process from start to finish. The students were very impressed with what they saw on the field trip. They made the connection to our class activities with what the students are learning at the college level. A few of the interior design students even applied to Villa Maria before we left!”
Jennifer Manning says her students participated in industry-related workshops specific to their program of study. They also toured the campus and got to see the facility of several different creative departments. “Some students had never been on a college campus before, so it was a nice way to become accustomed to the routine and expectations of college life. They were also able to interact directly with professors in their chosen field and experience what a class might look like at the level.”