HARLINGEN — As the screens lit up, so did the faces of the students getting a feel for the new equipment.
“Things are going really good,” said Brandy Martinez, 17, a senior in Pat Guajardo’s audio-visual practicum class.
The new Media Arts and Communications Academy has just opened in the old Memorial Middle School. The Harlingen school district spent the summer renovating the former school’s band hall. The structure now houses not only the audio-visual practicum but also the graphic design and illustration practicum.
The new facility, which uses the old band hall’s sound-proof panels, will enhance students’ abilities to learn the operations of a television station and radio station.
“I love it,” said Colin Gilloon, 17, who’s accumulated numerous accolades at the Harlingen school district’s Student Film Awards.
“It’s nice to see the Harlingen school district investing in student futures, and it’s really nice to see a space here all created for us. It’s really beneficial.”
One new piece of equipment he appreciates is something called a gimbal stabilizer for use with video cameras.
His classmate Jered Waggoner, 17, also appreciates the new equipment.
“I think it’s really interesting,” he said. “I’m really happy to have these new things. I’ve done audio visual, graphic design, printing the last three years. This year I could only take one so I chose audio visual.”
The graphic design class was going great, too, said instructor Belinda Trevino. Students would soon begin creating ads for local businesses as practice.
