Norfolk Collegiate School's communication arts program had its distant beginnings in 2001 at a meeting in which 1981 NCS graduate and Hollywood director Gary Fleder offered help in establishing a video production course. Fleder, best known as director for such thrillers as Kiss the Girls and Runaway Jury, as well as the current CW television series Life Unexpected, generously donated equipment and software to launch this course. Initial funding from an Edward E. Ford Foundation grant in 2004 provided support to hire a director, develop the interdisciplinary program and provide professional development for faculty and staff.
Over the last decade this program has evolved and the communication arts department at Norfolk Collegiate School has included some of the most high-demand courses for students in grades 9-12. The department currently offers courses in graphic arts, desktop publishing, public speaking, videography and computer-aided design, serves as an instructional area for all students and faculty, and is home to the print and online newspaper, The Oak Leaf, our yearbook, and literary magazines.
The communication arts program will be a key component in the Center for the Arts, as we recognize the need to prepare our students to be effective and multi-skilled communicators and compete in an ever-increasing information-based society. In the new center, a suite of classrooms will provide technology-rich classrooms and expose our students to the full range of communication arts. Once completed, the state-of-the-art center will include a visual art studio and labs for filmmaking, video production, graphic design, computer-aided design and student publications production.
The program will also include an expansive technological infrastructure, including specialized computers designed to handle the most sophisticated software, digital storage units and classrooms wired for internet. "Norfolk Collegiate School would become cutting-edge in its use of technology and be able to provide an array of teaching and learning opportunities that might not otherwise be possible," said Scott Kennedy, Headmaster.
Gary Bonnewell, NCS Board Chair said, "We might not all be talented in the visual, performing or communication arts. But one thing is certain: we are all benefactors of the arts." He encouraged everyone to help us reach out to others in the community to make this center a reality. "If we can open doors to meet with patrons of the arts and those who care passionately about Norfolk Collegiate School, we can open the doors to this magnificent facility."
For more information on the Center for the Arts and the ways you can help our efforts, please contact
Kay A. Stine, Director of Development.