How Filmmaker Catherine McCord Turned a Life-Changing Trauma into an Artistic Triumph
Aug01

How Filmmaker Catherine McCord Turned a Life-Changing Trauma into an Artistic Triumph

By Justin DeCausey How would you react if your life took a turn for the worst?  Catherine McCord, an eighteen-year-old young woman, took control of the narrative and turned a negative experience into art. You’re Gonna Be Okay is the recipient of the 2019 Kathy Reichgerdt Inspiration Award from the world’s largest film festival for emerging directors, film festival NFFTY. The documentary follows triple-threat writer,...

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Bard Alums Perform an Outdoor Mini Concert
Aug01

Bard Alums Perform an Outdoor Mini Concert

By Alex Silverman This outdoor mini concert is brought to us by Bard alums, Isabela Cruz-Vespa, Tobias Timofeyev, and Oleg Timofeyev. Together they perform a Telemann Trio Sonata in A Minor by Georg Philipp. It is an outdoor performance that brings a sense of peace and quiet in a time where peace and quiet is truly needed. While this performance is a stand out because of the music, it also stands out because of how and where it is...

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Malawi Student Discusses the Pros and Cons of Technology Usage
Aug01

Malawi Student Discusses the Pros and Cons of Technology Usage

By Will Hite In this video presentation, Mtowa, a student from Malawi, shares perspectives on the double-edged sword of technology in a 21st Century world. “Did you know that so many trees can make one matchstick but only one matchstick can burn down so many trees,” are the opening lines of Mtowa’s speech.  Instead of relying on statistics and factual research, she uses dramatic flare and metaphorical rhetoric to present her...

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Youth Filmmaker Focuses on Both the Pros and Cons of Plastic Consumption
Jul01

Youth Filmmaker Focuses on Both the Pros and Cons of Plastic Consumption

By Lexi Portner Is plastic always bad? For example, what about its benefits in medicine and public health during the Coronavirus pandemic?  How does society misuse cost-effective plastic?  What are the biodegradable options for plastic packaging? The short stop motion short film, Plastic: Villain or Hero (now screening on the Planet Classroom Network YouTube Channel), focuses on why plastic is not a black and white...

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Can’t Hide Me Director Focuses on Women in India who Step Out and Onward to Make Their Dreams a Reality
Jul01

Can’t Hide Me Director Focuses on Women in India who Step Out and Onward to Make Their Dreams a Reality

By Will Hite In India, millions of women living under its patriarchal society are told to stay inside as much as possible and tend to familial duties such as cooking, cleaning, and finding a husband. Otherwise, they are subject to men outside their family and have a chance of ruining their family’s honor.  While many women continue to face significant challenges  when it comes to their personal freedom,  what happens to...

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Malawi Student Worries About Her Future in a World That’s All About Connections
Jul01

Malawi Student Worries About Her Future in a World That’s All About Connections

by Lexi Portner “I’m scared because there might not be a future,”  says high school student Tamika, “because in reality in Malawi and other developing countries and worldwide… you need to know someone in order for you to get by.”   In Nepotism: My Worst Fear (now screening on the Planet Classroom Network YouTube Channel), Tamika, a high school student from the Mzuzu International Academy in Malawi, delivers a...

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