News – CyberARTS

202425

Applications for the 2025/26 School year are open until this FRIDAY Nov 22, 2024 at 4pm. The CSIP application can be found on the HERE.

NOVEMBER 2024

Northview’s CSIP Open House

Our Central Student Interest Program Information Session took place on November 5th. Northview’s staff and students were on hand to demonstrate the many courses and opportunities provided by the three CSIP programs; APGA, Cyber Creative Centre and HMST.

Applications for the 2025/26 School year are open until November 22nd, 2024 and can be found on the TDSB CSIP website.

The Cyber slides from the Information Night can be found HERE.

If you have any questions feel free to reach out to martyn.simpson@tdsb.on.ca

Lakeside Animation Workshop

Senior students in Cyber and SHSM programs enjoyed an inspiring presentation from Matthew Lyon last week. Chief Creative Officer at Lakeside Animation and creator of the Netflix film Arctic Dogs (2019), Matthew spoke about his Career and getting ahead in the Creative Industries. Covering wide ranging topics such as Story Editing, Concept Design and Music Composing. The day ended reviewing some of the students’ own work.

Nelvana Mentors Visit

This year’s Nelvana Mentorship launched with a visit from the studio. Animators and Directors spent time reviewing the students’ film ideas and their progress to date. The school also received a donation of three additional drawing tablets.

OCTOBER 2024

Toronto Youth Shorts Film Festival

We are excited to announce that four Northview student films have been selected for the Toronto Youth Shorts’ 15th anniversary film festival. The films were made by students in grade 11 for the SHSM Animation Pool Festival last May.

Founded in 2009, Toronto Youth Shorts is a multi-event festival featuring the best films by the industry’s future storytellers. The programming repertoire highlights many voices of different backgrounds, providing a true reflection of diversity. It takes place on November 1st and 2nd and will feature over 42 short films presented across five unique program lineups.

See the trailer here:

Toronto Youth Shorts: 15th Anniversary Film Festival Trailer (2024)

Details on the films and the Festival schedule can be found on the website: www.torontoyouthshorts.ca/2024fest

The Immersion Room Virtual Production Studio

Last week we enjoyed a Guided Tour of the Immersion Room; a state of the art Virtual Production studio in Downsview Park. Their technology is pushing the boundaries of what is possible in film production. In collaboration with xoTO, the City of Toronto Film Department, we are exploring educational opportunities for TDSB students.

Find out more here: https://immersionroom.com/

24 Hour Animation Contest

Three Northview teams from took part in this years 24 Hour Animation Contest. Students from around the world compete in groups of 5 to complete a 30 second animated film based on a given theme. This year 556 teams from 17 High Schools and over 200 Universities and Colleges took part. The challenge was to create a vision for the future with AI as a friend or foe and show how our world might fail or benefit from its evolution.

We are proud of the students that collaborated on original and meaningful concepts. The animations, and behind the scenes footage, can be showcased after the awards show this weekend.

York University Visit

On Wednesday, students from the Grade 12 Cyber and Visual Art classes got to experience post secondary life at York University. They had a Campus Guided Tour from a Northview Cyber Graduate, Portfolio and Scholarship talk from a Professor, Gallery visits and a Scavenger Hunt. Students learnt about pathways and programs in the arts and other areas of study.

Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) Leadership Certifications

The Creative Center Arts SHSM students kicked off this year’s program with a visit to Forest Valley Outdoor Education Centre. Presentations and activities focussed on Leadership Styles and skills. The day ended with the students presenting what they had learned and earning a Certification.

Second Semester 202324

June

Nelvana Celebration and Donation

The Grade 11 Cyber and SHSM students wrapped up their successful year with a celebration on Tuesday. They were joined by eight of the mentors from Nelvana; a world leading international producer and distributor of children’s animation and live-action. The mentors worked with teams of students to produce their animated shorts that were screened at Cineplex last month. This year Nelvana has provided professional guidance and a series of industry presentations.

The students were given gift bags and the school received a donation of five studio drawing tablets. There are exciting times ahead, with plans already being made for the 2024/25 school year!

February

NHSS Industry College Day – Nelvana, Toon Boom, Seneca Animation, Sheridan Animation, XOTO, InspireTech and Wacom.

Dr. Kris Alexander Presentation: Leveling Up Education through Game – Technology & Tools

March
- Nelvana Presentation Getting Your Start
- In March the Creative Centre was grateful to receive support from Wacom who donated a number of tablets. This supported a number of initiatives, including the Ontario Skills Contest and software testing with InspireTech; an company that aims to provide accessible software and learning materials.
April
- Marketing and PR Field Trip: Northview Cyber, SHSM and Marketing students had a great day at the PR company Citizen Relations. They took part in a collaborative learning experience. By the end of the workshop, the students had to present their ideas for a professional brief. The day was orchestrated by long term partner, Cossette, a global Marketing and Communication Agency.
- TAAFI Film Festival: Nelvana provided Cyber students with tickets for this Festival. This allowed students to attend all screenings over the weekend.

May

EDGE: Youth Art Show: art by Northview students in grades 9 and 11 was displayed at the 27th annual EDGE: Youth Art Show at Youngplace Hallway Galleries. There were over 250 artworks by secondary school students.

Guest Artist / tdsbCREATES / Student Art Exhibit: The Grade 10 Cyber classes have been working with interdisciplinary artist Sarvenaz Rayati. Students created Light Sculptures that were installed during the school’s recent Arts Night and tdsbCREATES; a board-wide Arts initiative that connects local artists with classrooms. The work was exhibited at Daniels Spectrum.

Arts Night: work from semesters one and two was displayed during the school’s Arts Night. The evening included multiple Galleries, film/animation screenings, live music, dance and drama performances.

GradX, Architecture and Gallery Tour: The Grade 10 Cyber classes also had a Field Trips to learn about the architecture of downtown and gallery tour at the AGO. The Grade 11s visited the OCAD University GradX show and got to meet with former CyberGRADS completing studies in various fields.
Ontario Skills: students also took part in the Ontario Skills Competition at the Provincial level. Students competed in Graphic Design and 2D Animation.
Ongoing Feedback and Mentorship – Nelvana mentors provided feedback, including notes, drawings and meetings. Students learned from Animators, Animation Supervisors, a Supervising Designer, Director, Head of Production, Art Director, Technical Director and Story Developers.

TDSB Animation Pool Festival: On the 14th we took 120 Cyber and Creative Centre SHSM students to Cineplex Empress Walk for the first TDSB Animation Film Festival. Seven films were produced by the Grade 11 class with help from students in grades 10-12. Grade 9 students produced the graphics, animated idents and music that went in between each film. They were assisted by a grade 12 co-op student working in Graphic Design.

The animations can be viewed online at the links below:

Festival Films Part One

Festival Films Part Two

Grade 9 Biomorphic Character Compilation

The day included a career presentation by Lakeside Animation Studios and a Nelvana panel that included a screening of their new CG animated series, Millie the Magnificent. Northview graduates and current animation students were also in attendance. Recorded messages were provided by Franchesca Silva, Christine D.U. Chung and Salwa Majoka. Franchesca, a recent graduate, has already worked for Disney and Amazon Prime. Christine and Salwa spoke about their animation industry experience and Viewfinder, a wordless Graphic Novel recently published by Penguin.

Cyber / SHSM Graduation: Congratulations to all grade 12 Cyber and Creative Centre SHSM students on completing the necessary courses and certifications to graduate the programs. We celebrated with family, friends and a live rock band. A huge thank you to all the staff and student volunteers that made this event possible.

June, NHSS Nelvana Mentors Day

Cyber and SHSM students were joined by eight of the Nelvana mentors to celebrate their work this year. Teams of students were mentored as they produced animated shorts that were screened at Cineplex last month. This year Nelvana has provided professional guidance and a series of industry presentations. The students were given gift bags and the school received a donation of five studio drawing tablets.

Toon Boom Educational Reel 2024

Northview was also featured in the Toon Boom Educational Reel 2024. The work of Amanda Berlove (Grade 12) was selected to be included with examples from mostly post-secondary institutions. “This showreel highlights an impressive collection of animated shorts created by students and educators using Toon Boom Harmony and Storyboard Pro.”

December 2023: our students learned from staff at the entertainment company Nelvana; a world-leading international producer and distributor of children’s animated and live-action content. The session included a Q & A with Production/ Studio leaders and grade 11 and 12 students. There was the opportunity to take part in portfolio reviews with Animation Supervisors, a Supervising Designer, Director, Head of Production, Art Director, Technical Director and Story Developers. Also on December 5th all students were invited to a Storyboard software workshop.

December 2024 Alumni Update

Creative Centre Alumni Days provide valuable insight into post-secondary programs and careers. This semester classes have had visits from former students now pursuing Video Game Design, Animation, Advertising, Screenwriting, Film, UI/UX Design and more!

In February 2024, Cyber Grads, Christine D. U. Chung and Salwa Majoka’s first book, Viewfinder, will be published. The Graphic Novel is available for pre-order from all good bookstores.

CyberARTS and SHSM Grad, Franchesca Silva (2021) created over one hundred shots for the movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Christmas Cabin Fever. One of her shots, shown above, was chosen for the promotional campaign and was projected in Times Square.

Check it out on Disney+ from December 8th.

Contest Finalist

Grade 12 student Amanda, was a finalist in the Diverse Minds Creative Writing and Illustration Competition. Her beautifully illustrated book for elementary students is about diversity and inclusion. Amanda made it to the finals in Winnipeg and placed 3rd nationally.

The competition is run by B’Nai Brith and this years’ deadline is April 16, 2024.

The Creative Center SHSM students went to Forest Valley Outdoor Education Centre in September. They took part in an Innovation Creativity and Entrepreneurship workshop in Environmental Education.

In November we went to Metalworks Music Institute and Studio for a SHSM Reach Ahead. The students learnt about the music business and had the opportunity to record tracks in the same studio used by Prince and Drake!

November 2023 Northview takes part in Cossette’s semi-annual Intro to Ad event.

This program invites grade 11 and 12 students to our office, to spend a day learning about the advertising industry and introduce them to a career they may not have otherwise thought about.

Find out MORE.

The Grade 9 Visual Art class went to the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) on December 5th. They explored both the Keith Haring and KAWS family exhibits.

In October, the Grade 12 Media Arts class visited the AGO and OCAD University. In the morning we saw the Family exhibit by artist / designer KAWS and, In the afternoon, had a guided tour of OCAD University.

The same month the Grade 12 Visual Arts class took part in a workshop at the Aga Khan Museum and had the opportunity to visit the National Women’s Show.

At the start of the year the Grade 11 Visual Arts class spent the morning at the Koffler Gallery and the afternoon recording street art in Graffiti Alley. The Grade 11 Media Arts class recently went on a research trip to the Royal Ontario Museum.

October 2023

24 ANIMATION CHALLENGE

CONGRATULATIONS to Northview’s Animation Challenge team, for ranking 4th out of all High Schools. They also scored higher than over 300 Universities/Colleges. Taking part were 431 teams from 104 Universities, Colleges and Schools, in 23 countries. That’s 2155 students!

Students were tasked with creating a love letter to animation and to show its potential. All in 24 hours!

May 2023

INDUSTRIAL BROTHERS PRESENTATION & STUDENT PITCHES

“Matt Fernandes, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Industrial Brothers, shared his inspirational story with the students of Northview. Seeking to motivate this young group with real-life perspective, he shared valuable insights in a storytelling style. Alan Gregg, Head of Content at Industrial Brothers, assisted in explaining the process of producing an original show, starting from the development of an idea through to the finished product on TV.”