Winnipeg high school students receive full-ride scholarships to Vancouver Film School

More than a dozen students from the CREATE program at Sisler High School in Winnipeg are getting full scholarships to one of the top film schools in Canada.

On Wednesday, 19 Sisler High School students found out they would be getting a full-ride scholarship to study filmmaking at Vancouver Film School (VFS), thanks to VFS and The Schroeder Foundation. More than $500,000 is being given to the students to study classical animation, visual effects, game programming, among other areas of study.

This is the most students from Sisler in a single year to receive these scholarships. Including these students, there have been more than 80 students from Sisler's CREATE program who have received scholarships to the school and created a strong reputation for the program.

Anthony Grieco, the head of curriculum and program development at VFS, said the CREATE program is world-leading, as each student brings a high level of skill, motivation and work ethic.

"We are proud to have these students, looking forward to seeing the work they do here in Vancouver," he said during the presentation, which he joined virtually.

The CREATE program gives high-school students and post-secondary students the opportunity to learn animation, game design and other digital media skills, while working at internships with mentors including Ubisoft, Eagle Vision Inc., and Nickelodeon.

"The last two years, although COVID has been a terrible thing for all of us, it has been a really wonderful opportunity for us to get to know all the students at Sisler – to see the talent, and the dedication and the motivation in the fact that you guys bring 150 per cent to every pitch meeting, every storyboard," said Carson Smith, the vice president of community outreach at Nickelodeon.

"I'm just really happy and proud of you guys and to see the work you've been able to create during this really difficult time."

More information about the CREATE program can be found online.