At Santa Monica High School, students in Ruth Carter's classroom are learning more than filmmaking — they are learning to tell stories that matter.
Carter, now in her second year with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, brings more than a decade of Career Technical Education experience to the Film and Video program at Samohi. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media Arts from Clark Atlanta University and a Master of Fine Arts in Television Production from Loyola Marymount University.
Her classroom mirrors the structure of a working film set, with students rotating through specialized production roles to discover their own strengths and interests.
"This structure allows students to explore different specialized roles of film production and discover where their strengths and interests lie," Carter said.
Students apply their skills through projects including short films for the annual Santa Monica High School Film Festival and Viking TV, a student-produced campus show. Carter also guides students through the Directing Change Film Contest, in which students produce public service announcements focused on mental health and substance abuse in collaboration with peers across CTE pathways.
"What stands out most is watching students work together from concept to completion," Carter said. "By the end, they are producing work they are proud of while building confidence and collaboration skills."
Carter said belonging is central to her teaching philosophy. "I want them to leave my program with confidence in their creative abilities, strong collaboration skills and the courage to express their ideas in any space they enter," she said.
Edited by SMDP Staff