by SEPP JANNOTTA - Ravalli Republic

With summer approaching and kids everywhere suffering spring-itis, believe it or not returning high school students are beginning to plan out their academic pursuits for the next school year.

And the folks at the MAPS Media Institute are hoping more than just a few Ravalli County students will be signing on to learn the finer points of commercial, non-fiction and fiction visual arts.

Students in programs ranging from Montana-based Maps, AMPAS and the Jacob Burns Film Center

By Peter Debruge

After moving to Montana, veteran producer Peter Rosten founded the Media Arts in Public Schools (Maps) program, offering a state-approved arts elective in film and video production. Students have a direct hand in creating short films and PSAs, dealing with all aspects of the process from budget to execution.

"Admittedly, not a lot of kids are going to be able to be in the 'business,' but the good news is that so much of what we teach are transferable life skills. In our program, they learn to communicate a succinct message, they learn teamwork, they learn fiduciary practices," Rosten says.