As of this school year, there is a new group of students that will become future interior designers, audio mixers, and digital photographers here on campus. The addition of the Program of Emphasis, gives students the option to take four years of an elective to prepare them for future careers in specialized fields.

The Creative Design and Entertainment Program of Emphasis consists of Digital Photography Technology, Digital Audio Production, 3D Animation Technology and Interior Design Services. This magnet program allows students to embrace creativity in the digital world as they follow a four-year course plan in their chosen field of the program. Students decide which area they would like to pursue, and then have the same elective, with the responsibility of maintaining certain requirements to continue in the program. In addition to the newness of the program itself, a new audio recording studio was made for the Digital Audio Production class.

“It’s similar to an academy, in that you can focus on those routes that lead to a career,” Interior Design Services teacher Lynn Moran-Peebles said. “You follow a certain path in order to graduate from that program.”

For students that may be zoned for different schools, the Program of Emphasis provides a unique chance for them to attend Lake Brantley as it is a magnet program.

“They can come from anywhere in the district as long as they are doing those courses in order,” Moran-Peebles said. “For instance, if they come in as a freshman for my Interior Design class, they would have to take all four years or the program or else they would be sent back to their zoned school.” 

3D Animation Technology teacher Kathleen Neylon believes that this is an interesting chance for students to build skills in areas they could hold potential careers in.

“For animation, we kind of delve into the arts industry and computer animations,” Neylon said. “All of it is art, but all of it is done on the computer.”

Junior Kira Klafter, in her 3rd year of 3D Animation technology, shares that the curriculum each year becomes more detailed and extensive.

“We will model, we will move characters on the screen, we draw a ton of different things,” Klafter said. “The programs keep improving, and there’s more to do as time goes on.”

By choosing this path, students are entering a world of opportunities that would not be available in a one-year class.

“They get more knowledge and more experience in the program than they would if they were just taking one course,” Moran-Peebles said. “We work with people in the industry, we tour colleges that have really good programs, they can also earn college credit.”

This program is highly encouraged, accenting the quality of the work done in the class, and the ability of students to remain with a solid group through all four years of the course.

“When it all comes together, while it may seem like you’re getting nowhere at first, it feels very rewarding,” Neylon said.