Quite a bit of the talk around the STEAM initiative has revolved around the first and last letters; S- for Science and M- for Math. The other letters are not being ignored at Rockhurst. The Communication Arts department was created to add more opportunities in the arts. Introduction to Movie Making, Advanced Film Making, Introduction to Broadcasting, Introduction to Photography, Public Speaking, Newspaper and Yearbook are a few of the classes in the CA department that provide students with an opportunity to “communicate artistically”. As the Communication Arts department continues to grow, a few clubs have been started to introduce students to the existing courses available and to possible courses.

The Photography club allows students who have taken or are taking our digital photography course the ability to work in a darkroom environment. This club is moderated by Ann Lehane (CA department) and Tim Nendick (Science department), an example of two departments under the STEAM umbrella working together. Participation in the club is not limited to students who have taken Introduction to Digital Photography. The hope is that the club will introduce students to photography, spark their interest in the subject and to make connections between digital and film photography.

The Broadcasting Club is moderated by Brian Bruce (CA department) and allows students who have taken the Introduction to Broadcasting class to explore more topics and/or continue to develop their broadcasting skills. Of course, the club is open to students curious about what goes on in the Introduction to Broadcasting class.

The Animation Club moderated by Tom Zima (Math department) members work on skills necessary to produce animated movies. One goal of this club during the 2015-2016 school term is to produce an animated short to enter into a local media contest and to be shown during Rockhurst’s film festival, the Roscars.

The Introduction to Movie Making class started out as a club four years ago. It is hopeful the clubs mentioned in this blog will also become classes at Rockhurst in the near future as we continue to “STEAM” ahead.