Eligible students can earn college credits while attending the Digital Arts program. Our students will have the chance to earn college credit in the following classes from CCV:
Digital Arts is a college bound course where students explore graphic design, web and game design, digital photography, illustration, computer animation and fine arts. Students create and communicate through hands-on project based learning. The class often functions as an advertising agency/production house creating materials for the school and local clients. Personal vision and individual artistic aesthetic are nurtured and encouraged, fostering student’s investment in learning. The Digital Arts curriculum is based on freshman foundation courses at a college of art and design. The assignments will help students develop a strong portfolio of work for the college application and scholarship process.
Digital Arts is an excellent choice if you are a visual hands-on learner. In the first year, students create a series of individual and group projects, where you will learn as you create. The first semester is devoted to learning and fine-tuning creative and technical skills through creating comic books, photography, and self-portraits. During the second semester, students are enrolled in a college course through CCV while exploring more intense software and technical skills like computer animation, graphic design, and game design. The last quarter is devoted to a project you design.
Second-year students take three college courses and AP Art and Design while creating projects for clients and the community. Second-year students also participate in a co-op experience all while building their college portfolio.
Special Requirement of all students: all applicants must complete an additional essay requirement
Recommended Prerequisites: fine arts and computer applications classes; college preparatory coursework
Reading Level of class materials: Grade 10 – 13
Year 2 Students: Must have finished Year 1 with a 2.0 in all academic classes. Willingness to co-op off-site or commit to working with the school as a client. Completion of Adobe Creative Cloud dual enrollment course offered in first year.
Essay Requirement for Digital Arts – Please address the following in a 1-2 page essay: Why do you want to enroll in the Digital Arts program at Stafford Technical Center? What are your career goals? Please describe any artistic and/or computer experience that you have (i.e. classes, extracurricular activities, hobbies, or influences). Portfolios or examples of work are highly recommended. This could be a photocopy of a drawing or an address to a web page that you created. The instructor recommends that students write the essay after their interview for the program.
• Portfolios or examples of work are highly recommended.
Embedded Credit: 1 Fine Art OR 0.5 Information Technology
Karen Kysar came to Stafford Technical Center in 1998. She taught Video Communications from 1998-2001. In 2002 she created the concept and curriculum for a Digital Arts program which opened in the fall of 2002. Ms.Kysar received a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She has taught for Castleton State College and CCV. She worked as an Artist in Residence in Minnesota from 1990 to 1998 working extensively with learners with disabilities and at-risk communities. Ms.Kysar is very passionate about teaching and technology. She believes in exploring technology as a vehicle for personal vision and imagination as well as a form of communication.
ka*********@****vt.org (802) 770-1430
Digital Arts
The left side of the graphic includes the Stafford Technical Center logo and the phrase:
Career Tree – Education with Purpose
This infographic uses the image of a large tree to illustrate career pathways in Digital Arts.
The tree begins with roots that represent the personal and educational foundation needed for career success. The trunk symbolizes growth, and the tree branches into three progressively higher levels of careers represented by layered platforms surrounding the tree.
The roots of the tree are labeled with four foundational elements:
These elements are presented as the basis for career development.
With Program Completion
Examples include:
Apprenticeship, Associate Degree, Advanced Certification, Experience, etc.
Career options include:
Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree, Ph.D., Specialized Training, Experience, etc.
Career options include:
The tree represents a progression of career development:
The visual emphasizes that career growth is continuous and that each stage builds upon the previous one.
