On February 16 at a socially distanced event held at Winnipeg School Division's (WSD) Sisler, 19 students from the Winnipeg School Division's CREATE program at École Secondaire Sisler High School learned they have received full scholarships to Vancouver Film School (VFS). The scholarships are made possible through financial support from VFS and The Schroeder Foundation. This is the most VFS scholarships that have ever been awarded to CREATE students in a single year. Online Broadcast: https://youtu.be/M2gm1fI0uMg
"We cannot thank VFS and The Schroeder Foundation enough for their support," said Jamie Leduc, CREATE Department Head. "They go out of their way to make this happen for our students - providing them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pursue their dreams at a prestigious school. It's incredibly heartening, and very emotional, for me to watch these students achieve their potential."
VFS and The Schroeder Foundation have collaborated on this initiative for the past two years. In 2020, 1- full scholarships were awarded, followed by 15 scholarships in 2021.
This year's students will be pursuing studies in Classical Animation, 3D Animation & Visual Effects and Programming for Game, Mobile and web. VFS covers 40 percent of each scholarship, and the remaining 60 percent is covered by The Schroeder Foundation. Together they are providing over $500,000 in support.
"Students in the CREATE program are doing incredible work and performing at a high level," said Walter Schroeder, Head and Founder of The Schroeder Foundation. "At the Foundation, we believe in removing barriers for young people who are working hard to achieve their goals. We're thrilled to be able to invest in these students and help set them up for success."
The Schroeder Foundation is a supporter of the Sisler CREATE program, providing over $700,000 in scholarships and an additional $900,000 in equipment to the high school and post-grad program since 2019. The foundation also funds an industry liaison and communications manager to help provide education pathways and job opportunities for students.
The VFS contribution to the scholarships is the latest offer in the school's long-standing relationship with the Sisler CREATE program. Including these 19 students, there will have been over 80 Sisler CREATE students who have received scholarships to study at VFS in the past five years alone. This year's group is the largest yet.
"Vancouver Film School's relationship with Sisler High School is one we value very highly," said Jonathan Bell, VFS's Managing Director. "We have seen so many talented students attend VFS through the CREATE program, and we are honoured to play a part in preparing these students for and immersing them in the creative media industries."
"VFS is thrilled to be offering our Sisler 2022 winners a full-ride scholarship for their choice of our Classical Animation, Animation Concept Art, or Programming for Game, Web & Mobile programs," said VFS's School of Animation Head, Colin Giles. "The animation industry, in particular, is booming, and our Classical Animation and Animation Concept Art programs train our students in the #1 global animation hub - Vancouver - for an industry that is always hiring talented young animators."
Registration is now open for the 2022/2023 Sisler CREATE post-high program. High school graduates from Manitoba are invited to apply. More information can be found at www.sislercreate.com.
