Newark Public Schools’ Teacher & Students to Present Film at 2015 Newark Comic Con Saturday


Newark, NJ – September 11, 2015 – Newark Public Schools congratulated East Side High School film teacher Andrew Teheran along with current and former East Side students on the official premier of their fantasy adventure film at the 2015 Newark Comic Con this Saturday, September 12. Mr. Teheran and East Side High School’s New Media Studies Magnet Program students and alumni have worked on the film, The Flight of the Arrowhead, for over five years.

The film was created in the summer of 2009 by a group of East Side film students. The Flight of the Arrowhead was written and directed by current and former students of East Side High School’s New Media Studies Magnet Program, an award winning and internationally recognized program that provides students the opportunity to participate in a state-of-the-art course curriculum. Students also lent their acting talents to the film, and created all of the music, costumes, and miniature sets featured in the film, which was shot in front of a green screen.

“I continue to be amazed by the talented teachers and students who are doing such impressive work in our classrooms,” said Superintendent Chris Cerf. “All of Newark’s parents, students, and teachers should be proud of the East Side High School students who have dedicated their time and energy to see this innovative project through to completion. These young men and women are pursuing their dreams, and have created a true work of art that will hopefully inspire other young people to do the same.”

Mr. Teheran, who has taught at East Side High School for nearly 18 years and founded the celebrated New Media Studies Magnet Program, said that the project involved more than one hundred students over the years. “This film is the culmination of years of creative work from truly gifted young adults that have come through our New Media Studies Magnet Program at East Side High School. This program continues to motivate young adults to a pursue careers in film and new media technology.”

East Side High School is known for its diverse student population, and according to Mr. Teheran, students who worked on the film often referred to themselves as a cast and crew from five different continents.

“The funny thing is that I learned just as much as the students learned in this process,” recalled Mr. Teheran.

One student in particular, Joao Tarouco, returned to his alma mater as a graduate mentor to direct the film and train other students about 3D animation and composition. Tarouco is now studying Media Technology at Essex County Community College and continues to pursue his interest in film and new media.

“This has been a great learning experience. It has been wonderful still being involved in this film even after graduation. I get to go back and work with current and former students to finish this film. We have learned so much together over the years,” said graduate mentor Joao Tarouco.

Andre Marques, a student animator on the film, was one of the students Tarouco mentored. “With the help of Mr. Teheran, Joao, and all of the other students involved in this film, I was able to learn so much about 3D animation and the filmmaking process,” said Marques. “Collaborating with my classmates and learning by doing is what made this fun and so successful, and helped us see this through to the end.”

A preview of the film can be found here, as well as a breakdown of some of the work that went into creating a scene from the film here. In addition, the East Side High School New Media Studies Magnet Program has created a promotional video that can be found here outlining some of the innovative work that is being done in the program.

About East Side High School’s New Media Studies Magnet Program
The New Media Studies magnet program is one of the premier offerings of East Side High School. The award winning and internationally recognized program provides the opportunity for students to participate in a state-of-the-art course curriculum that prepares them for the twenty-first century communications work place. Completely computer based, the graphic design, video production, and animation program that has been developed for over 12 years by teachers, students, and administrators committed to its success. Each year the students produce original, creative, and engaging films, animations, and graphic materials. These projects frequently win awards in state and national film festivals. The program has gained international recognition being featured in the French periodical “Le Nuveau Observator” and by participating in European film festivals that feature student films from around the world.

The New Media Studies magnet program leads with its focus on cross-curricular and interdisciplinary structure. Instructors from various departments and subjects, including: English, History, Journalism, Foreign Language, Speech, Music, and Law join with the Graphic Arts and Video teachers to develop connections and create strategies to illustrate the relationships between these areas of study to students and design curriculum that coordinates projects between the subject areas.

Attracting and recruiting students from across Newark, the New Media Studies magnet program has the full support of the faculty and staff at all levels. It provides the youth of Newark with a rigorous, relevant, and visionary course of study that will be the model of education in the coming decades.