Film and Screen
Welcome to the Film and Screen Lab.
My name is Nikolai Rasinski. I am the school’s new Film & Screen teacher. This position is brand new to the district and brand new to me.
I initially got my start in film when I was starting high school. I took a couple of classes here and there, but I wanted more out of film. When I was 16, I got the chance to attend one the (brand new at the time) APS School of Choice schools called College and Career High School. I attended CNM’s campus the whole day. The morning block was for high school classes and the afternoon was for CNM college classes. I used this time to reignite my passion for film and attended CNM’s film school. The day I graduated with my high school diploma, I also graduated with a degree as a Film Technician.
Attempting to fulfill my dream to be a filmmaker, I enrolled at UNM after graduation. Slowly realizing that pursing a bachelor’s degree in film was not a suitable option, I exited UNM after just one semester and returned back to CNM. Not fully knowing what to do I decided to just take some core classes at CNM. With both of my parents being educators, it dawned on me to try and become a teacher.
I started New Mexico Highlands three years after high school. With education and teaching my main priority, my passion for film got put in the rear-view mirror. Another three years later, I graduated from NMHU “Cum Laude” with my bachelor’s in elementary education and a minor in secondary education.
My teaching career started at Navajo Elementary School. My first year I was teaching 2nd grade and the following year was I teaching 4th grade. Nearing the end of my second year teaching, I felt that Navajo was not the right place for me anymore. I applied here at Janet Kahn in an attempt to further my educational career with the arts integration and arts magnet school model. Expecting to be hired as a classroom teacher, I was called to become the new Film and Screen teacher. A PERFECT match between my two worlds: education and film. An amazing surprise twist!
The acting games you may hear your student talk about comes from either “Drama Works” by Jonas Basom or “Theater Games for the Classroom” by Viola Spolin. Most of my curriculum stems from my knowledge from film school and my creativity as an educator. There is no blueprint or guideline for teaching elementary film, so I have had the ultimate joy in creating lessons, activities, and experiences from scratch. When creating lessons, I use the National Core Arts Standards in Media Arts, Theatre, and Visual Arts.
I am VERY excited to be a part of this school and to be teaching your student! Contact me at nikolai.rasinski@aps.edu to learn more about what we do in the film lab.