Saturday Cartoons and Cereal Program Teaching Students About Animation and Podcasting
Extended learning and enrichment is thriving in the Mountain View School District (MVSD) with a variety of afterschool and Saturday programs offered for students. A new program provided this school year is the Saturday Cartoons and Cereal Workshop offering students insight into animation and careers in the arts and entertainment industry. Through a partnership with the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory, MVSD’s third through eighth grade students are able to participate in the free workshops held the third Saturday of the month at the Mountain View Family Center.
Cartoons and Cereal is led by teaching artists who are practicing, professional artists who have dual careers as educators. Their mission is to introduce students to pathways to careers and workforce development in film, art and digital media. As titled, the Saturday fun and enrichment includes eating a bowl of cereal and watching cartoons such as Bluey, Sonic the Hedgehog, Scooby-Doo, Hello Kitty & Friends and more, and learning about animation, discussing the various jobs that go into creating a cartoon, and putting pencil to paper to draw cartoons. Students are also learning about podcasting and have the opportunity to create, edit and host their own podcast. Several students are showing great leadership skills and aptitude for the various aspects of podcasting and are excited to learn about this popular field.