Traces
DogHouse Design Fontainebleau Students Print New Paths for the Future
Trey Ryals. 74
WHAT DOES IT TAKE to run and operate a small, creative business? Students at Fontainebleau High School now have the opportunity to find out for themselves. Meet the latest branch of the Graphic Arts program, DogHouse Design. The impressive student-operated print shop teaches hands-on skills, shaping young entrepreneurs for a future in the workplace environment. Reformed math teacher turned Graphic Arts director Trey Ryals envisions a way for students to learn valuable workforce experience while unleashing their creative side. He believes strongly in the value of tangible skills outside of traditional classroom education. “These students are graduating high school with a better understanding of what it means to communicate well, to adapt to change, to solve problems—and the importance of punctuality and attention to detail,” says Ryals. At DogHouse, the students run their own small business, designing, creating and fulfilling orders for screen-printing. The profits from their creations go directly back into the Graphic Arts program, supplementing the cost of education and keeping the team financially independent. The students are not only trained in Adobe Illustrator but learn the time and customer operational skills it takes to produce a quality product within a deadline. With one pull of ink at a time, they are learning competitive creative and managerial Inside Northside
skills for their futures. Another rewarding aspect of the business is its active involvement with other programs on campus. The school’s robotics team provides building equipment, while the carpentry program builds the store. As for the accounting? Well, the business department takes care of that. Ryals says, “Too often, students are taught individual subjects within a box, and they can fail to see the connections between different subjects.” This community integration brings school lessons into real-world scenarios. The reaction of the student base could not be more thrilling. Ryals says some of the students “want to plan and organize, some want to print shirts and some would love nothing more than to do design work every day. I think all of my students would agree that one of the biggest perks of our program is the sense of pride they feel when they see a student walking around campus wearing a shirt that they had a hand in making.” In addition to t-shirts, the young, hard-working team can design and produce posters and stickers. Beyond the Fontainebleau community, DogHouse has also completed work for local businesses, including Chompers BBQ, Donut King and the Wrestling Academy of Louisiana. With a soldout program and a group of interns, DogHouse looks to expand its capacity for next year. Engaging high schoolers in a way not found in a traditional classroom setting, DogHouse Design provides an opportunity to create not just a t-shirt, but a skill set that will prepare these students for a prosperous future.
photo: THOMAS B. GROWDEN
by Danielle Dietze