Ad Campaign Lessons Earn Students’ Praise
Animation industry professionals have honored students from 12 Valley middle schools for work on an ad campaign against smoking.
In an annual event held Thursday at UCLA’s Wadsworth Theater, officials from the Los Angeles Unified School District joined representatives from AnimAction, a Los Angeles-based company that provides animation programs to schools and communities, in honoring the students.
A total of 27 district middle schools were honored for involvement in creating anti-smoking public service announcements. To do so, students participated in intensive 12-hour animation workshops, funded by the Proposition 99 excise tax on tobacco products.
“AnimAction is really one of the best programs that I’ve known,” Tony Delgado, principal of Van Nuys Middle School, said Friday. “It thoroughly engages the students in a hands-on experience, which is developing a cartoon with a strong theme.”
Through the program, students conceptualize, draw, color and film 30-second announcements. In the past, winning student announcements have been aired on network television and distributed worldwide by UNICEF.
Delgado said about 80 Van Nuys Middle School students participated, creating seven cartoons. At the awards ceremony, one ad from each school was screened.
The other Valley middle schools honored were Richard E. Byrd in Sun Valley, Christopher Columbus in Canoga Park, Robert Frost in Granada Hills, Oliver W. Holmes in Northridge, Charles Maclay in Pacoima, James Madison in North Hollywood, Robert A. Millikan in Sherman Oaks, Olive Vista in Sylmar, Francis Parkman in Woodland Hills, John A. Sutter in Canoga Park and Northridge Middle School.
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