Latest news with #SislerHighSchool
CBC
06-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
'Grief can eventually turn into growth': Winnipeggers share recovery stories after loss
Her volleyball career was cut short by a devastating back injury. Graduation from film school didn't land her a dream gig in the industry. Retiring from his life in construction left him at loose ends. Grief comes in many forms. It did for three Winnipeggers, who shared their stories as part of a new short documentary about unexpected forms of grief that aren't associated with death. "Grief is what happens when we experience a loss and it can be a variety of kinds of losses," said Wayne Sadler, an outreach and education co-ordinator with Palliative Care Manitoba. "So obviously the most devastating kind of loss is a death, but grief can also happen when we have other kinds of losses." Case in point: Lisa Kachkowsky's career as an elite national volleyball player ended prematurely after she suffered a herniated disc in her back. While she was "crushed" at the time, she moved on with her life and became a teacher. "Really volleyball — that life experience — was a small piece of the pie. There is still so much more to life than just that game," Kachkowsky said. For Francesca Munsi, graduation from Vancouver Film School didn't result in an immediate job. "I was upset for a while over not being able to jump straight in and be able to do what I loved," she said. And Herald Boychuk, 83, faced his own loss after retirement and the march of time. "When you admit to yourself that no matter how much you don't want to slow down because of old age, you've got to have in your own mind that you have no choice," Boychuk said. "And that in itself brought me some sadness." These reactions are not unusual, Sadler says. "When you experience a loss, it means that that person or that situation was really important to you," he said. Sadler says it's important to address those feelings of grief and then move forward by "taking that energy and turning it into new opportunities." For Munsi, her dream of an animation career is still on the table, and she is taking time to map out a strategy. "Dealing with grief has been a kind of a new thing for me," Munsi said. "I've kind of figured that, you know, you can learn a lot from grief. And grief can eventually turn into growth." Overcoming different forms of grief is the subject of a three-minute documentary by students in the Create program at Sisler High School, a post-high school program that trains students in the creative digital arts, including filmmaking. Create students Tyler Ullyot, Annabella Katiniaris and Ben Crowe produced the short video. Meet the filmmakers Tyler Ullyot has been interested in being a filmmaker since Grade 9, when he took a digital media class just for fun. He enjoys making videos for YouTube or shooting and editing short films with friends, and always tries to challenge himself by learning new techniques and programs to help prepare him for the industry. In his free time, he enjoys watching movies, photography, biking and playing hockey. Annabella Katiniaris has had an interest in movie-making since they were little. They love filming and editing, and also have a love for graphic design. They love nature and being with the people they care about, and want to use their time on the planet to learn, create, feel, help others and discover the secrets of the universe — if they have the time. Ben Crowe has had a passion for filmmaking since starting as a five-year-old. He is interested in many areas of film production, including cinematography, shooting, editing and directing. In his free time, he likes to watch movies and his favourite YouTube creators, many of which serve as inspiration for future projects. More about Project POV: Sisler Create CBC Manitoba's Project POV: Sisler Create is a storytelling collaboration that partners filmmaking students with CBC Manitoba journalists to produce short docs. You can see past projects here. The Winnipeg School Division's Create program is hosted at Sisler High School and trains post-high students in the creative digital arts. During fall 2024, CBC journalists taught storytelling to filmmaking students and led producing workshops at Sisler.
CBC
23-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Winnipeg woman with significant challenges sells art to fund her travel dreams
For Jannie Messmer, joy is picking the perfect paper and glitter to make her greeting cards. "Oh I love crafting. I love making crafts. It definitely helps during tough times to make crafts. It definitely helps my self esteem," said Messmer, who is deaf, through an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter. Messmer lives with cerebral palsy and has an intellectual disability. She also lives on her own with minimal support through In the Company of Friends, a program administered by Innovative Life Options. "It's a model that allows people a lot of choice and they direct their lives, they do all the planning," said Patti Chiappetta, executive director at Innovative Life Options. For Messmer, her placement In the Company of Friends came at a very dire moment, says her mother, Shirlea Smith. "An agency in town thought that they should make the decisions for her, and because she didn't have a substitute decision maker they manipulated her into a bad decision," Smith said. Messmer subsequently lost weight and developed an eating disorder, Smith says. Now, those days are behind her. "I can set up goals for myself and then figure out how to, you know, what I need to get things in place so that I can make those things happen," said Messmer, who is saving her money for a trip to Hawaii. "It's important to have really good self-esteem," she said. "It's important to feel really good about yourself. You're not can do things. You don't have to be stuck, and I would be happy to help anybody who needed my support." Messmer and her pursuits are the subject of a new three-minute documentary by students in the Create program at Sisler High School. Sisler's post-high program trains students in the creative digital arts, including filmmaking. Create students Venice Pasaraba, Justina Finch and Semira Abolore produced the new short video. Meet the filmmakers More about Project POV: Sisler Create CBC Manitoba's Project POV: Sisler Create is a storytelling collaboration that partners filmmaking students with CBC Manitoba journalists to produce short docs. You can see past projects here. The Winnipeg School Division's Create program is hosted at Sisler High School and trains post-high students in the creative digital arts. During fall 2024, CBC journalists taught storytelling to filmmaking students and led producing workshops at Sisler.
CBC
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Mega music fan searches for forever homes for his epic collection
It's a good thing Doug Kretchmer isn't enthralled with cats. Instead, the Winnipegger is passionate about, or possibly obsessed with, music. Inside a north Winnipeg warehouse that is also his home, Kretchmer came to a realization. He needed to dramatically downsize his music collection, estimated at more than 10,000 pieces. "The main living area is 14 by 14 [feet, roughly four metres by four metres]. The left wall is all records. The right wall is all records. The front wall is all CDs. And we're talking about a 12-foot-high ceiling, so I'm surrounded by it," he said. But shortly after moving into the warehouse, he was in two major car accidents within two months. "I could not walk for a while," said Kretchmer. "My life kind of really changed. And you really rethink everything, and I'm thinking, 'Wow, if that was fatal, my family would have had to deal with my whole collection,' and where would it have ended up kind of thing." So now, every weekend, you will find Kretchmer at Winnipeg's Mulvey Market, selling off his collection of LPs, CDs and cassettes. "Knowing that some of my really valuable-to-me stuff will go to a great home where someone will appreciate it, you know, I love that idea," he said. Kretchmer's story is now the subject of a short, three-minute documentary by students in the Create program at Sisler High School. Create students Markus Penner, Gianluca Caldarola and Joshua Soriano produced the new video. Meet the filmmakers Markus Penner developed a passion for film during his gap year after high school. He is deeply invested in storytelling and enjoys exploring familiar ideas through fresh perspectives. In his spare time, he likes to read history books, trade stocks and write film reviews. In the future, he aims to become a screenwriter and director. Every day is a new challenge for Gianluca Caldarola, whether he's volunteering for local football teams taking photos or creating new team designs. Caldarola loves being busy and has a large range of projects on the go. He volunteers with Pros Vs Joes, a week-long event in December that supports families in need. He also volunteers photographing student athletes and taking portraits for awards ceremonies at his former high school Sturgeon Heights. In his spare time, he likes watching movies, going on nature walks in parks and biking. Joshua Soriano is a freelance videographer who has been working with cameras since 2023. He started doing sports photography for the Sisler Spartans. Since graduating from Sisler High School, he has started his career as a sports videographer, working with U Sports athletes and teams across Manitoba. More about Project POV: Sisler Create CBC Manitoba's Project POV: Sisler Create is a storytelling collaboration that partners filmmaking students with CBC Manitoba journalists to produce short documentaries. You can see past projects here. The Winnipeg School Division's Create program is hosted at Sisler High School and trains post-high students in the creative digital arts, including filmmaking. During fall 2024, CBC journalists taught storytelling to filmmaking students and led production workshops at Sisler. Create focuses on education and career pathways into the creative industries. Students can take courses in animation, film, game design, visual effects, graphic design and interactive digital media.
CBC
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
After a horrific bike accident, this Winnipeg woman made a return to dancing
Cyclist Lizzy Kovach knew the next moments were going to be bad, but there was nothing she could do. "I was halfway through the intersection. I saw the grill of the truck out of the corner of my right eye, and that was it," she said. It was May 1, 2023, and Kovach — an avid cyclist and dancer who is also the president of the Kapisztran Hungarian Folk Ensemble of Winnipeg — was riding home from work when she was hit by a truck. "There was a crunch, and all I knew was that I was flying off my bike," said Kovach. "I landed on my head and my neck ricocheted, and I remember feeling the pavement on my face." Her face was cut open. She had multiple fractures in both ankles and 10 broken ribs, and broke the bone where her shin and thigh meet. She was covered in bruises and scrapes from the impact. The accident was devastating, but her dedication to dance, and her dance family at Kapisztran Hungarian Folk Ensemble, kept her going and helped with her recovery, Kovach said. "Having their support this past year and a half has been huge." The story of Kovach's accident, recovery and her return to dance is the subject of a new three-minute documentary by students in the Create program at Winnipeg's Sisler High School, a post-high school program that trains students in the creative digital arts, including filmmaking. Create students Shea Miller, Shai Vilenski East and Maya Reuther produced the short video. Meet the filmmakers Shea Miller immersed herself in literature, music and movies beginning in childhood. She is now an aspiring filmmaker and has a strong passion for storytelling. As a filmmaker, she hopes to voice life experiences for herself and for others. She has enjoyed expanding her knowledge and learning different ways to tell stories through documentaries and journalism. She is also a member of two cultural dance groups in Winnipeg and recently became an instructor in the SPK Iskry Polish School Of Dance. Maya Reuther has been making videos since childhood. She loved recreating famous movie scenes or making stop-motion videos. She has recently gained an interest in Foley and creating music videos. In her spare time, Maya likes to listen to and make music, create sculptures and try new, crazy makeup looks. Shai Vilenski East has been fascinated with the world of film and entertainment since an early age. He made his first stop-motion film when he was nine and has continued to make films for the sake of entertainment and fun. In junior high, he was an editor for his school's news program, and he created multiple short films in high school. Now, his dream is to become an editor, creating films that are nothing short of awesome. More about Project POV: Sisler Create CBC Manitoba's Project POV: Sisler Create is a storytelling collaboration that partners filmmaking students with CBC Manitoba journalists to produce short docs. You can see past projects here. The Winnipeg School Division's Create program is hosted at Sisler High School and trains post-high students in the creative digital arts. During fall 2024, CBC journalists taught storytelling to filmmaking students and led producing workshops at Sisler. Create focuses on education and career pathways into the creative industries. Students can take courses in animation, film, game design, visual effects, graphic design and interactive digital media.
CBC
23-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Winnipeg teen talks the talk on diversity — in 5 different languages
Erick Wright introduces himself in English, shares his age in Ukrainian, and describes his pastime in Icelandic. And Spanish. And Punjabi. No surprise, his pastime is learning languages and, at just 17, speaks — or is learning to speak — five of them. "Most of my friends are bilingual and I just felt a little behind by only speaking English," Wright says. "I kind of just learned some phrases and got excited to be able to speak it." But Wright (whose own background is multi-cultural) is doing more than just learning "some phrases." The Winnipeg high school student has made a point of immersing himself, as best he can, in the culture of each language's country of origin. In 2024, Wright spoke at a Holodomor commemoration ceremony in Ukrainian. "That was a big moment for me because I had to learn a new way of speaking Ukrainian in a professional, formal way," Wright says. Orysva Petryshyn agrees. Petryshyn, who taught Wright Ukrainian to Wright, calls him "unique." "He can dance, he can actually speak, he can actually do a variety of different dialogues with others," she says. "And he was able to learn about the countries, learn about the traditions." Wright figures learning both the language and the culture is a package deal. "Immersion is the best way when it comes to learning a language," he says. Wright is now the subject of a three-minute documentary by students in the Create program at Winnipeg's Sisler High School, a post-high school program that trains students in the creative digital arts, including filmmaking. Create students Semira Abolore, Venice Pasaraba and Justina Finch produced the short video. Meet the filmmakers More about Project POV: Sisler Create CBC Manitoba's Project POV: Sisler Create is a storytelling collaboration that partners filmmaking students with CBC Manitoba journalists to produce short docs. You can see past projects here. The Winnipeg School Division's Create program is hosted at Sisler High School and trains post-high students in the creative digital arts. During fall 2024, CBC journalists taught storytelling to filmmaking students and led producing workshops at Sisler.
