SV students debut animated short film
Over the past nine months, four students from Ryan Gloyer Middle School had the unique experience of collaborating with a Los Angeles-based animation studio to create an animated film.
The students — Kimani Whetstone, AJ Hart, Autumn Peterson and Ashawn Peterson — worked with Wonder Media, a studio founded in 2014 that creates educational content with a focus on topics like social-emotional learning, inclusion and life skills.
“Our students took full ownership of the creative process by writing the script, designing backgrounds for each scene and completing professional voice-over recordings in the RGMS recording studio, all of which were featured in our designated scene in the film,” said Gabe Miller, RGMS acting assistant principal.
Together, along with other local schools, they created the animated film, “Finding Alice in Wonderland.” The students were able to debut the animation May 22 to a group of parents and community members.
“Through this experience, they developed and strengthened essential skills in creative thinking, written and verbal communication, collaboration, problem-solving, technology integration, adaptability and perseverance,” a Seneca Valley news release said. “Additionally, students gained firsthand experience in project development through revision, critical thinking and learning through trial and error.”
The Seneca Valley students worked with Terry Thoren, an animation executive and former CEO of Klasky Csupo, the studio behind children’s programs like Rugrats, Rocket Power and The Wild Thornberrys.
“Most importantly, they worked together to create a meaningful film designed to inspire children and teach positive life lessons that can stay with them long after viewing,” the news release said.
