Big Successes for Local Schools at new Digital Arts Programme Awards
Laois and Offaly Schools toasting success at LOETB TY
Digital Arts Programme Awards
Schools around Offaly and Laois were toasting success recently in Esker Arts
Theatre in Tullamore, when they claimed big awards at the inaugural LOETB TY
Digital Arts Programme Awards ceremony.
The Oscars style event was designed to showcase the work of LOETB TY students,
and the work they’d produced as part of the new TY Digital Arts Programme in the
areas of Filmmaking, Podcasting and Virtual Reality, with the best entries claiming
Oscars and a piece of the generous €5000 prize fund.
The new programme was developed and supported by LOETB with Offaly and Laois County Councils, along with Film Offaly and Laois Arts Office; and supported
teachers and students with training and equipment to produce creative digital
content.
Introduced by LOETB Digital Technology Coordinator, Terence O’ Brien and MC’d
on the night by County Laois STEM officer, Seanie Morris, the lively event in the
beautiful Esker Arts Theatre provided a wonderful snapshot of the creative potential
of local students.
In the podcast section, judges Kellie Keogh and Siobhan Grealy had the honour of
announcing the winners. Before they opened the golden winners’ envelopes, they commended the students for the quality and variety of their entries and the challenge they had in picking the three winners.
ASCN Clara were announced as the first runner-up, with their excellent podcast
focusing on the role of Clara Town FC in the community. Banagher College was the
other runner-up to hit the stage, with their entry – a short documentary focusing on
the restoration of a local barge – also proving a hit with the judges.
The overall podcast winner on the night though was Oaklands CC, with their
fascinating podcast ‘Mná in Motion’, focused on the underrepresentation of women in politics. The Oaklands Team walked away with the Oscar and the €1500 prize fund.
The final winner in the podcast section was Sophia Bebcak, awarded Best Podcast
Performer for her work on the Portlaoise College entry.
Next up guests got to see a showcase of another LOETB schools programme – the
LOETB Creative Cluster. A collage of some of the work these TY Media Teams
produced as part of this initiative was showcased on the big screen with Clonaslee
College teacher, Linda Fitzpatrick, giving an overview of the Creative Cluster
programme and its many benefits.
After that it was back to the awards, this time for virtual reality content creation.
School teams across LOETB schools had been provided with training workshops to
use 360 cameras to create Virtual tours for new students – with audio and video guides embedded to help new students get to know their new school before they
ever set foot in it.
The two runners-up – CNC Kilcormac and Clonaslee College – were commended for the high quality of their tours but it was Dunamase College in Portlaoise that claimed the top Oscar and big prize, with presenters Terence O’ Brien and Antoinette Brennan commending them for their unique approach to the task – leading to a virtual tour with a virtual guide! The announcers also thanked Jeff Harvey, photographer and Nathan Cafolla (TUS) for their work in judging the virtual tours.
The final category on the night – Best Short Film – was particularly competitive, with
the two of the judging panel who announced the awards – Darren Lee of Film Offaly
and Jim Enright of LOETB – commending the ‘incredibly high standard’ of the
entries.
Portlaoise College, for their moving short film called ‘This is the Place’ was the first
runner-up announced, while St Fergal’s Rathdowney’s entry, ‘People’ – which was a
powerful commentary on priorities in life – claimed the other runner-up Oscar.
However, shading the top prize was the outstanding ‘The Echoes of Us’, from the
super talented TYs of Tullamore College – an epic sweep across the rich heritage
and history of Tullamore Town. The filmmaking team took to the stage to collect their Oscar and €1500 prize fund.
The last award of the night – Best Performance in a Short Film – was presented by
LOETB Director of Schools, Linda Tynan. It went to Ashleen Gorman from Clonaslee College, for her performance in the short film ‘A Lesson Learned’.
On the stage, LOETB’s Linda Tynan had a chance to thank all those involved in the
programme, particularly Laois and Offaly County Councils; and the many guests who attended on the night. She also reflected on the extraordinarily display of creativity on display from students on the night, as well as paying special tribute to the teachers and management of LOETB schools who go out of their way to support students in innovative programmes like the LOETB TY Digital Arts Programme.