by Mae Grisenthwaite

Two GS students earned awards at the Digital Media Arts Consortium, highlighting the success of the school’s video production program.

The Digital Media Arts Consortium, also known as DMAC, is a program hosted by Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh. This allowed all schools around the Pittsburgh area to submit their own original videos, yearbook pages, newspaper pieces and photography pieces to compete in different categories. Every year schools who submitted into any of these categories convene in the RMU events center to collect respective awards.

“There are categories you’re going to win and lose and that’s just something you have to accept,” junior Addyson Mink said.

Senior Jacob Hugus and Mink earned a combination of awards including Best Editing, Best Cinematography and the Award of Excellence.

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Senior Jacob Hughes poses with his award at Robert Morris University.

Photo Courtesy: Mr. King

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“Winning the awards we did felt like such an accomplishment,” Mink said. “Being able to walk up on that stage and collect those awards was a giant win.”

Hugus personally won the DMAC Founder’s Award

“I had worked myself hard these last three years from when I started my sophomore year with no experience, so being recognized with the Founder Award makes it feel worth it,” Hugus said.

 The Founder’s Award goes out to a nominated senior student who has been involved in the DMAC competitions throughout high school.

“I knew I had big shoes to fill this year because of the seniors in my spot last year, so winning gave me a sense of closure,” he said. 

Mink personally won the Award of Excellence for her instructional video.

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Junior Addyson Mink poses with her Award of Excellence in the Instructional Video category.

Photo Courtesy: Mr. King

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“A lot goes into the makings of these videos so being recognized for it feels so freeing,” she said.

Her video on how to bake peanut butter cookies wowed not only their video productions teacher Mr. Matthew King, but also the judges at DMAC.

“They were a fun and neat group to watch work and plan for this,” Mr. King said.

King has taught Mink and Hugus for a couple years now, so seeing them win meant a lot to him.    

“I was super proud of them,” King said. “They did an amazing job not only at this event, but also in class.”