Many students at Orleans/Niagara BOCES are members of SkillsUSA, a workforce development organization for students in career and technical education programs. One of the perks is getting to compete at local, state and potentially national championships.
Animation, Film and Visual Effects student Gabe Pagacz (North Tonawanda) was intently looking for someone to partner with to go to the New York State SkillsUSA championship in Syracuse. “I originally was supposed to compete in the Video PSA competition, but my partner decided they no longer wanted to participate. My teacher, Ms. Manning, suggested I partner with someone in Ms. LeFauve’s Web and Game Development program.” Evan Larratta (Niagara Wheatfield) was in a similar situation. He wanted to compete at states in the Interactive Application and Video Game Development contest, but no one else in his class was able to attend. “They asked if I wanted to work with Gabe, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to work with someone with a more artistic eye.”
The team had to produce an original prototype or sample of an interactive application or video game with a least one level and ten minutes of interactive content. Gabe said the combination of their talents produced a great synergy that helped them do well at the competition. “I play tested Evan’s game and tried to give him some really good feedback. I added the artistic element, while Evan coded the game, and we were very mindful not to use AI. I am not a fan of it at all.” Evan agrees with his stance. “I think it takes away from just using your imagination, so I was glad we were on the same page.”
Evan and Gabe said they had an amazing time in Syracuse at the competition. “We met people from all across the state and had a lot of fun exchanging ideas and admiring each other’s work,” says Evan. Gabe says the teams all took time to play each other’s games and talk about the platforms they used to create it. “It was nice to see other viewpoints,” says Gabe. The team was excited when it was announced they won the silver medal for their collaboration in this very competitive contest. “We had so much fun and we’ll never forget it,” added Evan.
Both students said it was a great way to wrap up their senior year at NCTEC, and they would encourage everyone with an interest in the field to take these programs. “Ever since I was a child, I had a computer and was fascinated by how games were made,” says Evan. “I would create simple games and taught myself coding. When I heard about the Web and Game Development Program at BOCES and decided to sign up for it, my parents were very supportive. I love my teacher, Mrs. LeFauve. She is so cool, and really lets us explore things while teaching us so much. It has been a great two years and I have learned so much about creating websites and games. For me, this will be a side hobby while I pursue a career in social work. It really is going to be a passion project because I know how competitive that field is.” Gabe says he has always loved drawing and plans to focus on a career in animation. “The Animation, Film and VFX class was a perfect fit for me. I remember how proud I was of my first attempt at animation here. I just love this class. Ms. Manning is such a great teacher, and we have so much fun. I will definitely be studying this in college.”