PAA Students Light Up A Room

Earlier this month (September 2022) a group of our students had the privilege of going to a private ETC (Electronic Theatre Controles, Inc.) training. It was through this training that our students learned how to program lighting consoles and earned their level 1, 2, & 3 certifications. This real world training allowed for our students to get hands on experience with some of the latest technologies within lighting consoles. Sophomore PAA Student, Alex Negrete (C/o 2025) recalls the experience, “ETC Training in Burbank was a wonderful experience; it made me see lighting very differently”.

Our Lighting Technicians take on a wide range of projects within our school, whether it be lighting a Theatre Production, Choir Concert, or School Rally, our students are directly applying their skills to real world scenarios. Alex Negrete continues his reflection acknologing the connection between this ETC Training and these real world application, “Many of our seniors that know how to operate our light-boards are graduating soon, so we will have to fill those positions, it was through this training that we developed essential skills which will allow us to step into those technical positions when they leave”.

The training culminated in a project where Alex explains, “we programmed a show to go along with a snippet of a song, utilized our newfound skills. This final project required us to put our technical and creative minds together to create something spectacular”.

We are thrilled that we get to offer these kinds of trainings and experiences to our Performing Arts Academy Students. It is through these types of connections that our students will have the skills and network to make them prepared to engage with the Performing Arts Industry after they graduate high school.

If you or someone you, or someone you know, are interested in finding out more about the West Covina High School Performing Arts Academy and the opportunities it can provide to high school aged students, feel free to visit our website at WCHSpaa.org or you can email us at WCHSpaa@wcusd.org.