This is an interview with Cathee Cohen who runs what is in my opinion the most dynamic and complete digital media arts program in California. This program is a Career Tech Academy program in Media Arts at Cleveland High School a comprehensive high school in Reseda, California. As you will see, she is also very outspoken!

(PM) Hello Cathee.

(CC) How are you?

(PM) Great. Ready for some questions?

(CC) Yes sir, come at me.

(PM) First, tell me a little background about your program if you may and what you do.

(CC) Okay. Our students are pretty typical for a school in this kind of community in LA. We have slightly more than half of the students being non-white. The students we serve are in a school within a school, as part of the Career Tech Academy and as you have seen our program occupies this wonderful studio building in the back of campus.

Our students not only meet the high school graduation requirements, but are also eligible to enter four year college and universities. Presently, we have students attending NYU, USC's and CSUN's Film Schools as well as many others. Last year one of our former student's earned her BA from Northeastern University and is working in the entertainment business making commercials and music videos.

The Media Academy was considered the original Small Learning Community (SLC) in the school district (2001-2006), and is a model for the state and nation. Los Angeles Unified School District only produced a written definition for SLC's six months ago. This definition does not include the Media Academy by LAUSD's description. The Media Academy has continued in operation solely based upon our success and high number of students wishing to enter our program along with parent support.

Having been in limited operation since the Fall 2001 semester (full operation occurred during the 2003 school year), earning numerous awards (i.e. two students Emmys, 2006 & 2004- 1st place NHRA Video, 2005 third place, 12 VIC Awards, 2007 International Family Film Festival, 1st and 3rd place Friars Club, T.I.M.E., Giffoni Film Festival 2005, 2006, 2007,etcÉ.We are now a passport program for students interested in Arts, Media, Entertainment and Technology.

The Media Academy is unique and flexible program established originally to provide residential students a high quality instruction in which the curriculum can be combined with various other programs on campus (especially with the Interdisciplinary Studies Program). Courses can be interdisciplinary, thematic and writing based. This Media Academy gives students a sense of belonging, friendships and academic support that comes from being part of a small school community, yet still allows students to take advantage of everything, such as ROTC, Band, sports just a few offerings a large school has, like Cleveland. The focus of the program is connections between students, teachers and studies and the world outside the classroom. Course work is taught using themes that make connections between the content of two or more subjects. Students at each grade level take a specific set of courses with a specific set of teachers who work together to support student success.

Because we are offering opportunities to students from a diverse economic background, equity and access are not issues with the Media Academy since we have been able to accommodate students who participate in various other programs on campus (I.E. Magnet, Special Education, ELL, etc.)

(PM) And you?

(CC) Oh yes, I'm the Media Academy Coordinator and Counselor. I'm responsible for programming (scheduling) approx. 450 students in grades 9-12. I created the unique curriculum specifically for our students and campus, based upon the work of teachers I was able to hire and their specific teaching credentials and the equipment we had on campus at that time.

(PM) Now I know that as the schedule person you have a tremendously complex series of classes the students take to make sure they get the digital media material and the regular high school/college prep classes. Can you tell me what a typical four-year course outline would look like? (CC) Sure, The courses taught in the Media Academy are:

9th grade

Digital Imaging 1AB - An intensive course which includes four courses rolled into one school year. Each course is 10 weeks in length and Includes: Beginning Traditional Animation, Filmmaking 1AB, Beginning Computers and Photoshop, and Beginning Drawing

Students have a specific English and Science teacher and course
(i.e. H English 9AB & H Marine Biology AB or English and Inter. Science 1AB)

10th Grade

Digital Imaging 2AB Ð Art History - Intensive course combining various elements of Drawing, Painting and Video Filmmaking within Art History. This course is part of another SLC referred to as Interdisciplinary Studies

Students have a specific English and World History teacher and course
(i.e. H English 10AB and AP World History or English 10AB and Biology

11th Grade Ð students can choose from electives offered Digital Imaging 3AB or Radio TV Broadcasting or Filmmaking 3AB or Web Design

Students have a specific English and American History teacher and course (i.e. AP American Literature /Composition and AP American History or Contempory Composition/American Literature and United States History

12th Grade
Doc Rocs
Expository Composition and World Literature
U.S. Government and Economics

Students can choose an AP (Advanced Placement) course in place of the English and/or Government /Economics course

(PM) I want to talk about "doc rocks" in a bit but I also want to ask you about the after-school offerings you have because one of the most innovativ pieces of your program is the after-school labs.

(CC) Yeah that's right. I have also increased the "school day" by offering two of our Media Film classes after the school day. Students can enroll in Filmmaking from 3:00-5:00

Monday-Friday

Courses taught in the Media Academy:

Digital Imaging 1AB,
Digital Imaging 2AB
Digital Imaging 3AB
Digital Image Production

Filmmaking 1AB
Filmmaking 2AB
Filmmaking 3AB
Film Production

Beginning Cartooning /Animation
Advanced Cartooning /Animation
Claymation

Web Design
Radio & TV Broadcasting

(PM) Why do you do that?

(CC) As you know, the kind of work we do can be hampered by the artificiality of the common school day period structure. Some classes just cannot be fit into the normal school class period day. These classes require a lot of set-up and it doesn't make sense to have a student grapple with say digital imaging for 30 minutes or claymation which takes forever to get into. The other thing is we try and model the program on the real world. In the real world of film/video the work-day can be 24 hours. We don't do that but we stretch the bounds of what can be done by offering the after-school work. I guess the best example is the continuity it takes to shoot a film. You just have to have longer periods.

(PM) Okay tell the folks about "doc rocks."

(CC) Yeah. Doc Rocs is of course Documentary Filmmaking. This class was developed with UCLA Film and English Department. We (all of the Media Academy Teachers and I) were a part of the curriculum development which took place during the 2001 school year and has been accepted as an A-G graduation requirement.

(PM) Can I come to school there?

(CC) You may be a little old.

(PM) Another fascinating part of the Academy is the fact that you offer dual enrollment in two community colleges. I think. Is that right?

(CC) Yeah, that's right. I also offer our students a wide variety of College Classes on our campus. I have been the Outreach Counselor for the Community Colleges (Santa Monica and Pierce) at Cleveland High School since beginning this program in 1998. This includes but is not limited to the following:

Beginning Drawing
Life Drawing 1
Life Drawing 2
Graphic Design
History of Opera
Introduction to Psychology
Abnormal Psychology
Introduction to Sociology
Civil Rights and the Law
Introduction to Healthy Living
Robotics
American Sign Language
Orientation to Higher education

(PM) How long have you taught here?

(CC) I am the person who brought the idea of a Media Academy to Grover Cleveland High School when I began at the school in 1997. I worked on increasing the total dollars for the QAZB Grant during the 1998-1999 school year. We were granted additional funds in 2000 and began taking bids and architectural plans for the campus A & I. Construction began in earnest in Oct 2001 and was completed in November 2003. The teachers in the program have been with the Media Academy since we began in 2003.

(PM) And they are?

(CC) Evelyn Seubert Ð Film Teacher
James Gleason ÐFilm Teacher
Kevin Keady ÐAnimation Teacher
Jeffrey Laidlaw Ð Art Teacher
William Diebold - Computer/Photoshop & Web Design Teacher
Susan Hanley Ð Claymaton

(PM) What department are you placed in?

(CC) Our former Principal made us a separate Department within the school, but we work very closely with the English, Art and Industrial Arts Departments. Our total budget for 2004-2005 was $2000.00, this year it increased to $5000.00. As ANYONE can see funding is a MAJOR problem

(PM) Amazing. Which Curriculum Standards do you employ in your classes?

(CC) We employ the state standards listed below and use the Tech Standards which Kathleen Milnes and I were a part of. So that includes everything you listed; VAPA, Business, Career Tech ED, Mathematics, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies.

(PM) Who developed the curriculum for your classes?

(CC) I (Cathee Cohen) developed the curriculum, based on input from teachers and my work with Los Angeles Unified Schools since 1978. In addition, I have worked at Santa Monica Community College since 1989 in various offices within their Counseling Department including the International Student Center

In addition, to my Teaching Credential I hold a California Pupil Personnel Credential. I have been extremely active in the development of High School Master Schedules for many years and I have work as a consultant for many high schools and a few middle schools in setting their special programs.

(PM) This is a unique program at least as far as I know in the state. Did you invent it?

(CC) Yes I guess you could say that. I like to think I did invent this program by using various factors and "boundaries" of the state and district guidelines and the limited course selection that meets the A-G requirements. I also know a great deal about what the industry wants and so what I did was try and see if someone in the industry wanted to get kids to be as professional as possible, what would that look like and then looked at the boundaries, if you will. Knowing a lot about scheduling was crucial by the way.

(PM) How do you stay current with new hardware or software?

(CC) Attending conferences whenever possible, keeping contacts open among parents, former students, etcÉ Speaking with people in the industry, cold calling computer and technology firms.

(PM)How long does it take to get new hardware from first request to having in the operational in the classroom?

The better question would be how long does it take to talk the district into acquiring up to date software, hardware, etc. Usually two-four years, due to a lack of realistic budget and we will "bug" everyone we can to get equipment we need.

(PM) How about Software?

(CC) Approximately one year.

(PM) Do you partner with outside organizations?

(CC) We have worked with various non-profits over the years, but none of them is a partner in the true sense of the word. We work with you guys at DASP and of course we work with community colleges as I mentioned earlier.

(PM) What impact if any has your classes had on visual arts at Cleveland?

(CC) The Media Academy has increased the elective class offerings to students and offered them additional career opportunities. In addition ALL the departments on campus have used the Media Academy to enhance their classes and programs. We have so many and numerous projects I cannot begin to mention all of them. For example we were the first high school to put our entire school on a DVD/CD and present it to the Accreditation Committee in 2003.

We have not replaced any formal class offerings, but if anything we have raised the bar within all classes when it come time to present projects. For example more students now take drawing than ever before. That kind of thing.

Another way to answer the question is to say that by giving the means for students to express themselves and develop videos about various issues I believe we have upped the ante for everyone. The quality of the student expression here is amazing. I like to think that the knowledge gained is enhanced by our program. Certainly other teachers have access to videos done by students that meet industry standards and they can use these as part of classes for all students at Cleveland.

(PM) Are your classes articulated or coordinated with other levels of education?

(CC) They are articulated now because of the "Word-of-Mouth", I don't believe people really know what's happening inside our school or classes, it's just that specific people who know us (CHS) know our kids are getting a quality education and they (our students) really know their stuff.

I would classify our courses as coordinated, but not necessarily in-line with higher education classes. It is hard to know. I'm in the process of working with a LA Valley specifically and the LA Media Education Collaborative. Hopefully, we can work out an arrangement where a student taking a Cleveland High School Media Course can "test-out" of a prerequisite class at the community college level or take the final from the community college with-in a course and get dual credit.

(PM) Do you think showcases are important for the students? If so how?

(CC) Extremely it gives them a sense of accomplishment, it lets them know they have an outlet to express themselves, it exposes them to the world, it allows them to be evaluated and judged not only by their peers, parents, community etcÉ but by the professionals, it allows them to receive feedback. It gives students (teens) a voice, and lets the community see their progress. Showcasing allows them to view other students work, and compare it to what they have learned and thought about (or have not thought about). I can answer this all day long. Just look at Dr. Bill Bronston did for our kids. They were high for a month following their showcasing in Sacramento at the Imax.

(PM) Have any of your students attended the California State Summer School for the Arts? (Inner Spark)

(CC) I believe only one BUT WHAT AN IMPACT SHE MADE . Her name is Brianna Westphal who will graduate in June 2007. She is worth the extra travel to Cleveland HS just to see her talent. In addition, she volunteers, teaching our beginning Animation Class along with the teacher so she could give back to Cleveland what she received over the past three years.

(PM) Okay what wisdom, advice or guidance do you have for the leaders in our state? What do you need?

(CC) Well, this could be pages and pages long. Here it is off the top of my head. I would like an opportunity to revisit this.

They can visit our campus and speak directly to me.
They could show their interest by doing the leg work for the showcasing, offering to set everything up.
They can go to the companies and acquire software at reasonable prices (better yet they can purchase the software for us and distribute it directly to us).
They can fund us directly, because this technology needs constant updating and repair.
They could fund my position, so I could concentrate on one task at a time.
They could fund a tech position for our school so we don't have to spend our time fixing equipment and explaining to students why they can not work on their projects because the equipment is down!
They could have woken-up earlier!
They need to speak to us (me) directly, not to the district's Superintendent.
How do I know when they have spoken with our district? I'm so far down the food chain I sure the district has no idea what going on, on our campus! The last two LAUSD Superintendents NEVER have set foot on our campus, and we have a excellent program, in addition to being the only LAUSD Comprehensive High School to earn the California Distinguished School Status.

(PM) Thanks Cathee

(CC) Thank you