HAMDEN -- The school day had a bit more action on Tuesday.
For the seventh year in a row during winter break, Quinnipiac University opened up the campus to hundreds of high school kids from all over the state. The students take part in a program courtesy of QU and the group Skills 21 at Education Connection.
The kids attend classes and workshops on movie making and TV production with a focus on e-commerce and STEM.
"It's a great opportunity to provide a service to students," said Heidi Erickson, senior associate director of admissions at Quinnipiac. "I think with the experiential learning they get at the workshops it gives them an opportunity to say wow not only do I think I can do that -- I just did that."
Taking his cues from QU professors who donate their time, Ian Romanski is learning to give cues. Romanski, a senior at Woodland High in Beacon Falls, was sitting in the director's seat at the communication school's television studio control room.
"I've never been in a professional studio like this," Romanski said. "You see a lot of what goes into a production."
As part of the program, the students all get a chance to prepare for long-term research projects that they will present at ExpoFest 2016, which is in May in Wallingford.
Erickson added, "Ultimately they're happy to grab the concepts that they're learning in the workshops and apply them to their end of the year project.
To learn more about Skills21 and the program with Quinnipiac click here.