September 2005

Creative professionals in graphic communications, publishing, advertising, and corporate communications are working with public high school students from New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut as they produce posters for the third annual Graphic Arts High School Design Competition, sponsored by the Association for Graphic Communications (AGC) in conjunction with its Education Foundation for the Graphic Arts.

Mentors guide students through the creative process as they design and digitally produce a poster for The Actors' Fund, a not-for-profit organization that supports the nation's entertainment industry. Students gain experience in fulfilling a creative brief (provided by The Actors' Fund) and learn to work under the deadline pressures typical of the graphic communications industry, completing their projects in only five weeks.

"We are most pleased to work this year with The Actors' Fund on such an exciting initiative," said Diane Chavan, AGC's Vice President of Education and Training. "This competition provides public school students with important work experience -- exposing them, at an early age, to the creative process of a real ad campaign and giving them a chance to work with professionals on an exciting non-profit project. The contest also offers our industry the opportunity to help mold the next generation of professional graphic artists within our workforce."

AGC's Graphic Arts High School Design Competition emphasizes the importance of education and teamwork in graphic arts and production. Past winners have seen their work featured in Newsweek magazine and on New York City buses.

This year's winning entries will be announced during a special Education Awards Ceremony at AGC's Graphic Communications Day on November 16, 2005. The ceremony will also honor outstanding educators, students, and industry leaders who demonstrate their commitment to lifelong learning. Mr. Tom Saggiomo, president, Graphic Systems, North America, at Agfa will deliver an education keynote address. Sponsors for the Education Awards Ceremony are Xerox, Adobe, and XMPie.

For additional information about the competition and awards ceremony, contact Diane Chavan at dchavan@agcomm.org.

July 2005

The Graphic Communications Contest, one of eighty-four skills and leadership contests at the 40th Annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Championships, took place on Thursday, June 23, 2005, at Bartle Hall in Kansas City, Missouri. The all day event brought in forty-eight state champions representing high school and college/postsecondary programs across the United States.

The overall contest included seven separate and distinct segments: digital workflow, electronic prepress, finishing, offset press operations, oral professional assessment, production planning, and technical knowledge test. The contest ran from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Contestants were required to work with equipment from Xante Corporation, Apple Computers, Baumfolder Corporation, and HeidelbergUSA. This hands-on contest required students to prepare a file using page layout software, send files to proofer and platemaker, operate and make adjustments on a press, operate and make adjustments on a folder, participate in an interview, solve production planning problems, and take a written test.

The 2005 medalists in the Graphic Communications Contest for high school include:

• Gold: Jeff S. McFarland, South Grand Prairie High School, Grand Prairie, Texas
• Silver: Stephen Buerger, Francis Tuttle Technology Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Bronze: Mitch Miller, Slinger High School, Slinger, Wisconsin

The 2005 medalists in the Graphic Communications Contest for college/postsecondary include:

• Gold: Rebecca Long, Asheville High School, Asheville, North Carolina
• Silver: Erica Bisig, Nichols Career Center, Jefferson City, Missouri
• Bronze: P. Lance McDaniel, Vincennes University, Vincennes, Indiana

The contest was put together by the National Technical Committee for the Graphic Communications Contest. The committee consists of representatives from the graphic communications industry including businesses, suppliers, manufacturers, and educators.

June 18-24, 2006, is the next scheduled SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference. The Graphic Communications Contest is scheduled for Thursday, June 23, 2006 in Kansas City, Missouri.

For more information contact Dr. Jesus J. Rodriguez, Chairman of the National Technical Committee at jrodrigu@pittstate.edu. For information about SkillsUSA see www.skillsusa.org.