Hobbton High School students traveled to the coast for a day trip funded through Simple Gifts.

Last month, Hobbton High School Art Club students headed down to the coast for an educational and artistic experience.

The Simple Gifts fund helped made this trip possible by providing funding for the grant titled “Art Behind the Scenes.” Through this grant students were exposed to artistic careers and new artistic experiences. In the fall, the group traveled to Durham, NC to tour DPAC, The Art Institute and the Nasher Museum at Duke University. Our spring trip included a trip to The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, a Lunch date at Hurricane Alley’s Restaurant and a film tour provided by On Location Tours. Students who attended the trip are eager to share highlight about the experience.

The first stop for our day was at the North Carolina Aquarium at Ft. Fisher. It was truly an amazing place to those of us who had never been. We were given the opportunity to see “art in nature” and find inspiration from the world around us. We were given a tour that helped us understand how artists play a role at the aquarium as well. We gained a better understanding of how artists were needed in designing the exhibits and making sure that the animal habitats were appropriate, but beautiful at the same time. It was really cool to see all of the different ecosystems represented and all of the beauty that nature has provided us. As a student, I had an amazing time and I know everyone else on the trip did as well.

Upon leaving the Aquarium, we headed over to the famous Carolina Beach Boardwalk to eat Lunch. We were starving. The dinner consisted of a Hamburger and Hotdog buffet provided by Hurricane Alley’s restaurant. We had a blast eating some good food and sitting out on the roof top deck to watch the ocean and feed Seagulls.

The only downside was that it was so windy. We really had to make sure our plates didn’t fly away. Once we finished eating lunch we were able to walk around the boardwalk and see the different shops and some of the new renovations. We enjoyed swinging on the decks and going over to the Fudge boat candy shop for Ice cream and Fudge. Some of us even ventured out to the ocean. The water was very cold, but it was nice to have some sand between our toes.

After Leaving the Boardwalk, we headed into Wilmington to EUE Screen Gems studio to meet our tour guide Francine DeCoursey with On Location Tours. The Studio allowed us to drive the bus around the areas as the tour guide pointed out relevant buildings, sets and costume areas. She also shared with us the names of many films and TV shows that were filmed in North Carolina.

They were actually filming “Under the Dome” at the moment. We also got to see the largest “film stage” in the United States and some of the actors trailers. Later, Francine took us over to Cape Fear Community College to share about their awesome theatre program and see the campus.

There were two more stops before we headed back to Newton Grove. Francine arranged for us to go to JDC Camera Services where we met the world renowned Producer and Cinematographer: Joe Dunton and his Daughter Erica who is a Director.

Joe is very well known in the film industry and invented the video assist equipment that is used on all film sets. We were honored because they actually flew in from England to meet us! While we were there, they also took us around the building to show us different video cameras and “testing rooms”, they also gave good advice on entering the film business. The coolest part was when they showed us the Drone Camera that is operated by smart phone or tablet.

It was fascinating to see! We later were chauffeured over to Cinepartners, Inc. where Mr. Joe Ferguson taught us about lighting for films. We toured the warehouse where lots of different types of lighting devices are stored for rental by productions. His Staff demonstrated the different types of lighting and helped us understand how important the “little things” are to the film industry. By the time we left, we were all seeing stars from the blinding lights!

A note from the teacher

Our day trip to the coast was amazing. As always, my students and I left feeling very excited about art. I always get compliments on how well behaved the students are. It is refreshing to learn outside of classroom walls and make subjects more relevant to everyday life. I want to give a huge Thank You to the Simple Gifts organization for making these trips possible to my students and I. We are all so inspired by what we witness on theses educational field trips. Over the past three years of receiving these grants, I have noticed a huge interest in the Arts at Hobbton High School. We hope that we will be blessed enough to continue to take great trips to amazing places in North Carolina.