MediaRites was one of three non-profits in Oregon to garner the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts Creative Links Program award. During Fall 2000, MediaRites brought an after school class in radio production and graphic design to Roosevelt High School.

Other programs we've made available to Roosevelt High School include:

Video PSAs on Domestic Violence

Students at Roosevelt High School in North Portland are combating domestic violence by producing four professional video public service announcements that won the Northwest Film Center's Young People's Film and Video award.

Led by Jeannie La France of Act for Action and professional videographers of Green Fire Productions, the 15 students were part of the MediaRites After School Program funded by a special grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Roosevelt Family Resource Center.

The students wrote and produced four public service announcements that chronicle the lives of students facing relationship violence at school and domestic violence at home. Green Fire Productions filmed the students in March. Both KPTV and KOIN-TV news aired reports on this project.

Green Fire's award-wining video programs have been broadcast on PBS and their footage has aired on "60 Minutes," CNN, and network affiliates nationwide.

"Dear Diary" one of the 30-second PSAs was chosen one of 20 winners out of 200 entries from throughout the Northwest.

Music Workshop with Aaron Meyer

Aaron Meyer taught about 20 Roosevelt students to create two songs professionally recorded and mixed by Musician and Engineer Tim Ellis. The musicians collaborated with MediaRites to bring their Classroom Music Project to Roosevelt as part of our after school media program . Meyer and Ellis are creating a CD of music created by youth in Portland Public Schools. The songs created for the Roosevelt Arts Program aired on KBOO-FM in Portland.

Sorting It Out

An original play created during a MediaRites two-week Theatre Camp at Roosevelt High School in July-August 2000. Directed by Carmela Lanza-Weil, with teachers Vicente Guzman-Orozco, Jeanne LaFrance and Ping Khaw-Sutherland, "Sorting It Out" was a 45 minute play with music and dance starring 14 young people ages 12-16 in the North Portland neighborhood.