Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Fall 2018 | Page 14

Students in Lori Roth Smith's '88 class
design projects for the community
I N T H E C LAS S R O O M
Athletic Hall of Fame class project teaches students TA history
Th e Th ornton Academy Athletic
Hall of Fame was established in
2006 and hosts a beloved induction
ceremony on campus that
celebrates the accomplishments
of TA's great athletes each year.
Individuals, teams, coaches
and special athletic moments
are celebrated in the Garland
Auditorium and are invited to
step onto the fi eld during the
Homecoming football game to be
recognized. Each inductee also
receives a specially designed poster
commemorating the mark they
have made in Th ornton Academy's
history.
In recent years, Technology
and New Media department
teacher Lori Roth Smith '88 has
incorporated TA's rich athletic
history in her graphic design classes
by assigning students the task of
creating the commemorative poster
that the inductee receives.
"[Students] were excited that the
public would see each of their
14
posters. Knowing that many people
would see their work motivated
them," Smith said.
Th e fi rst year that the students
tackled the project, they were also
tasked with redesigning them.
Reece Saunders '17 was one of the
students who played a pivotal role
in the redesign project.
"Our class decided that the leaders
of the redesign project would be
myself and Hannah Gorham '17,
who was also a very skilled senior
graphic designer in the class.
Together, we created the basic
layout for the poster," Saunders
said.
Th e project not only served as a
lesson in design, but also in history.
Smith says, "I took students to the
Alumni House where yearbooks
are stored. Th ey found yearbooks
of the years their inductee attended
TA to research information
and then scanned photos to
Stories by Brittany Brown · Photos Courtesy of Irvin Serrano and Olivia Paradis '20
use on the poster. Th e students
enjoyed looking at the hairstyles
and fashions of the inductees'
generation! Looking back through
yearbooks helps connect students
to TA’s past and its rich history."
Designing the posters also gave
Saunders the opportunity to
strengthen his design skills as
he prepared to leave Th ornton
Academy and begin his
professional journey.
"While working on the Hall of
Fame poster design, I became
more experienced with working
with other designers. Th is type
of experience is very important
in the business fi eld and is an
extremely effi cient way to get work
done," Saunders says. "Th ornton
Academy provided me with the
proper learning environment when
developing designs such as the
Th ornton Academy Hall of Fame
posters. I have learned so much
and have made great connections
with my teachers and classmates at
TA."