Newton College and Career Academy Preparing Students for Jobs in New Media

By Garrett Pitts news@covnews.com

In an ever-changing market, new media jobs are tougher to find and get as the years pass, but the Newton College and Career Academy is taking the necessary steps to prepare students for those jobs.

NCCA is proud of being a top choice for students who want to take a deeper look into curriculum that will help prepare them for postsecondary education and the jobs they want to get after high school and college.

NCCA teachers, Jasmine El-Jourbagy and Verda Watson, are providing students an opportunity to learn new media with classes that provide instruction on web design, animation, digital media, audio, film and video technology.

In El-Jourbagy’s animation courses, she starts the students with the basics of animation as she gradually increases the workload in course two and three.

“Each level class does something different. I have an intro, principles and concepts and advanced animation. When they get to principles I really start to challenge them with open-ended projects so they can use their creativity,” El-Jourbagy said. “In my advanced class, I try to get a client for them, and right now they are working with Georgia Power.”

El-Jourgaby’s students have been working with Georgia Power on creating an animation for elementary students to learn what linemen are and what they do.

“Animation is not offered in every high school in Georgia, we are one of 10 schools that have it.,” El-Jourgaby said. “I think it gives students that creative outlet that they may not always have in a computer science class.”

El-Jourgaby’s student aid, Kayla Archibald, explained how the technology that NCCA provides allows students like herself to be able to take the next steps to learning things that they would not be able to in other schools.

“Using software like Adobe Animate and Adobe Photoshop allows me to see the intricate details of the work that we do because platforms like Canva give it all to you,” Archibald said. “It did really challenge me because I started in the third-level class, and I did not know anything about animation. The pathway and modules that Ms. El-Jourgaby had taught me a lot.”

Through Watson’s courses, students have the chance to learn the fundamentals and advanced work of audio, film, production, editing and directing.

Students are learning these techniques on technology and equipment that they cannot find at many schools in Georgia.

Watson also teaches criteria from the Georgia Film Academy in the coursework for her students.

“Anyone can take the Georgia Film Academy courses, but they would have to pay. We teach it in the school,” Watson said. “They get a head start before they go into the industry because they know what to expect.”

One key part of Watson’s course is the ability for her students to compete with other schools in the state and nationwide in SkillsUSA, which hosts multiple career competitions for students.

“We just did our state competitions, and they did short films, music videos, vlogs, sports highlight reels and PSA’s,” Watson said. “They learn everything in the class so when they get to [competition] they know what they are doing when they get their prompts.”

One key part for Watson is letting her students expand upon the coursework as they learn how to make music in the studio inside of the classroom. The classroom also provides an editing bay for podcasts and talk shows, as well as a television studio.

Community outreach was one major point for both El-Jourbagy and Watson as they want more students to know the opportunities that NCCA provides for students in Newton County.

As NCCA continues to grow and provide students with opportunities to learn different professions with top-notch technology, the chances for students to learn every aspect of new media continue to grow in Newton County.

“A lot of the community does not know what we do and we want to let them know that if you want to learn animation, film and television, we are here,” Watson said.