• #IAmDowntownBellefonte

    iadtbftBellefonte Area School District annually partners with assistant teaching professor Renea Nichols from the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State that sponsors a free summer digital storytelling workshop for students. The project called #IAmDowntownBellefonte is spearheaded by Nichols who works with a group of middle and high school students from the district on communication and public relations projects that help them connect with the community where they live.

    In its first year, the project mimicked the Humans of New York photo blog by allowing students to conduct interviews and create digital stories about the people who make up Bellefonte, including residents, business owners and more. The second-year allowed participating students to work on podcasts that tell a story about themselves. Each summer, teens have the chance to also interview, photograph, video and write stories, and use amenities provided by Penn State.

    Students meet weekly during the summer with Nichols at the Bellefonte branch of the YMCA of Centre County.

  • Participating students from Bellefonte Area School District were:

    • Alexia Alterio*
    • Brynn Albright
    • Emma Beauton
    • Mitchell Carr
    • Avah Colm
    • Matthew  Connelly
    • Ashtyn Harter
    • Will Heckathorne
    • Leah Johnson
    • Leah Coey-Vaughn Lauck
    • Aleigha Prisk
    • Alexis Prisk
    • Kate Rarrick*
      * indicates students who participated in the program in 2018 and 2019