Starting her 11th year as an educator, Audio Visual Productions teacher Lisa Lafond comes from Stiles Middle School, where she taught the Principles of Arts and AV classes. This is Lafond’s first year teaching high school, where she leads AV1, AV2 and AV Practicum classes.
“I hope to continue this amazing program,” Lafond said. “But I’m just starting, so there’s a lot for me to learn as far as what we’re able to do, and what is out there for us to accomplish.”
Having taught at Stiles for five years, Lafond teaches a variety of students in her Principles of Arts and AV class, and now has some of the same students from Stiles in her classes.
“I have to change my mindset because I’ve had the middle school mindset for so long,” Lafond said. “I have to remember that the students are older, they need less hand-holding. It’s been a lot of fun to see the different personalities, and to see students that I’ve had in years past, just how grown up they are.”
Lafond has a decade-long history with AV production, with her interest going all the way back to when she would film promotional videos and content.
“I’ve always loved movies and television,” Lafond said. “When I got the opportunity to use editing software, it just made me want to learn even more, and it became kind of a hobby.”
Similarly to Lafond, other current AV students who she had as students at Stiles shared the same sentiment with having her as the new AV teacher, voicing how comfortable they are with having her as their teacher again.
“I’m glad to be in her class, and I’m glad to have a teacher that still knows me, that knew me in eighth grade and now they’re knowing me in tenth,” sophomore Aleena Arguijo said. “We have a little connection there.”
Junior Jaxon Allen, who took Principles of Arts and AV in middle school, feels as if her teaching style has only improved at the high school level.
“I like that she gives us a lot of control over how we want to make stuff,” Allen said. “We have a lot more freedom to express how we wanna make stuff.”
Lafond expects her students to continue collaborating together on student films for the betterment of the program.
“I would like to have the program continue the way it has been in the past,” Lafond said. “So I just want to do my part.”