Most people assume that Hollywood is the ideal location to hold a red carpet debut, but not for the students at the King George School, a therapeutic boarding school located in Sutton, Vermont. Students recently rolled out the red carpet as they formally introduced several multi-media productions as part of Operation Skybound, an educational outreach program that focuses on character education through the arts.
In Operation Skybound, after students select a topic of personal passion or interest and their medium of choice, they progress through three innovative phases of pre-production, production, and post-production within a ten-week timeframe.
Students form their own production companies; are trained in basic business management skills; develop marketing plans and create posters to market their upcoming presentations; conduct research to obtain primary and secondary resources; and direct filmed and recorded personal interviews and exchanges with professionals in the community to initiate cultural-community exchanges.
"Students are involved in cross-curriculum studies such as history, math, science, arts, and language arts in order to fully support their written essays that are then converted into working scripts which continue to evolve through actual production and post-production," says Dean of Academics Michelle Ralston. "Students are challenged to pursue creativity and self-reliance while building self-esteem."
Led by character education and arts instructor Gail Rossier, Operation Skybound is based on six pillars or hallmarks: honesty, integrity, leadership, perseverance, respect, and responsibility. "Operation Skybound productions challenge our students to broaden their artistic capabilities, assist them to be creative problem-solvers, and provides insight and training to adapt to change" says Rossier.
At this year's premier, eight projects were introduced featuring six ten-minute documentaries and two exhibits in photography. The debut was also celebrated by parents, faculty, staff, and community members.
King George Schoolis a private coeducational therapeutic boarding school for students in grades 9-12 and post-graduate, providing a supportive and stimulating educational environment for bright, creative, and capable adolescents.