The Stroud Review Dec '22
Youth Documentary Academy (YDA)
By Nadia Melvin
The Youth Documentary Academy (YDA) is a community-based organization that helps teenagers within the local community to develop films to spark conversation. YDA is an 8-week program that takes place over the summer, students there then learn about the basic components to make a film, such as lighting, sound, types of storytelling and journalistic skills. Nyla Melvin attended the 8-week long program where she combined the skills she had learned about film making and her own personal poetry that she wrote to make her film. Nyla explained that she had heard about YDA from a teacher and recommended that she applied, once finding out she was accepted she said she was “excited but anxious because I didn’t know what to expect.”
What is your film about, and what is it called?
My film is called ‘A Gunshots Cry.’ It’s mainly about gun violence in America, ranging from mass shootings to police brutality.
Why do you use poetry in your film?
That's how I am able to express myself, poetry is another medium that people are able to resonate with as well.
What was your favorite part of YDA?
Playing with the different types of lighting and learning how color can impact the mood of films.
In Nyla’s film she uses an array of colors to set the mood of her film, the colors ranging from a deep red to a somber blue. Red and blue lights flash in the background to mimic police lights as she is talking about police brutality in her community.
What do you hope people will take away from your film?
Gun violence in America is a problem and change needs to happen, there has to be reform or laws put into place to prevent these tragedies from happening in these communities.
Do you believe that your film will help make changes in your community?
I believe it will, because it will lead people to have conversations about gun violence and do research to understand what laws need to be passed.
Nyla’s hopes that her film can create change in her community and she believes that more people should use their voice as a way of sparking conversation in communities. She not only used film as a medium but she used poetry as well. You can do anything to show tour voice and make positive changes within your community but it starts with you.
Lights, Curtains, Action!
By Jordan Barker
It goes without saying, but I’m a theater kid. What can I say, there is a certain appeal to the performance that just entices me. The beam of a spotlight against my face caked in makeup and the thrill that comes with singing and dancing, it’s an experience. But more often than not, we forget to embrace the magic that comes with theater. So in this month’s newsletter, I’d like to share some highlights of what some of my Stroud friends and I have been up to on the big stage.
Act I: Dracula
We all know Dracula, right? That white goblin with pointed ears and a cloak thirsty for blood? Well, on a particularly dark night at Mesa Ridge School, audiences got introduced to our favorite blood-sucking fiend roaming the streets of London looking for someone to bite. In this hilarious treat of a musical, our very own Madi (2021 Cohort) stars as Dracula as she fights off the citizens of London in search of a bloody snack. Fun fact: Tylah (Cohort 2022) also made an appearance as a member of the stage crew. If it weren’t for them, the show would not have been as grand - so we really appreciate it!
Act II: Clash of Cliques
It’s the last two months of senior year and the kids and Mitchell High School Theatre’s cast of Clash of Cliques is bustling with drama, love, and lots and lots of…you guessed it, cliques. Featuring a large cast of roles ranging from football god Ryan, returning girl Vanessa, and the guy dating the prettiest girl in school, Dennis-who is actually Vinny (Cohort 2021). This theatrical play on high school stereotypes has everything you can ask for and more!
Act III: The Fantasticks
In the words of mysterious lover El Gallo, “without a hurt the heart is hollow ''. In Fountain-Fort Carson Drama’s production of The Fantasticks, we get to visit the innocent love story of two lovers, but as time passes and the two learn to find out love isn’t as great as they thought. In this metamorphosis of a love story following an abduction and ballroom dance, our characters learn to find a purer form of love in their life following the hardship rained upon them. Oh, and of course, I’m in this.
Persistence
By Jessa Grenada
I like to think of myself as having been successful so far in improving the conditions of my life. I have gone from being an unhappy teenager, to a happy young adult with a full life. This sort of life improvement does not happen naturally. It requires many things, one of which I want to illustrate with a recent example. I am talking about persistence. Persistence is not giving up after rejection or failure, and continuing to reach towards something better. Here is my story: Colorado College offers this thing called the Venture Grant that students can apply to by proposing a project anywhere in the world. If accepted, you receive money to make your project come to life- exploring anything that you are intellectually curious about! It is a unique and wonderful opportunity that I really wanted to take advantage of before I graduate this May. This is especially true since, because of COVID restrictions (talk about persistence) all my other efforts to study abroad had been thwarted. So in early fall of this year, I met with one of my favorite professors, and devised an idea for a project. I put much work and thought into my application- consisting of an essay proposing your project, as well as lots of info about logistics and budget. I submitted my application, waited about a month, and received a horrible email. “Your application has been rejected”. Of course I was upset, but I tried to quickly turn those emotions into something productive. I avoided falling into feelings of inferiority or helplessness, and reached out to faculty at CC that I know. This social support is an essential part of being able to persist! These people first joined and affirmed me in being upset, offered practical advice for ways forward, and reached out to the selection committee on my behalf. With this fire behind me, I reapplied, and another anxious month or so later, my revised proposal was selected for funding. I now have funding to travel abroad for the first time, for a month in January, when I will be staying in Florence, Italy to study art. I am beyond excited for this experience, which will no doubt help me grow in many ways. The initial rejection makes this feeling all the more sweet, and taught me an important lesson about not letting failure win!
December Birthdays
December 2nd- Jordan Barker
December 5th- Yesica Martin Felipe
December 9th- Angel Zapata
December 11th- Leini Rosas Carrizales
December 15th- Abby Vallejo
December 22nd- Tylah Stewart