Ogden students take artistic talents to new level with prosthetics and real-life models


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OGDEN — Students at Highland Junior High School in Ogden are taking their artistic talents to a whole new level.

Instead of watercolors and canvasses, they use prosthetics and real-life models in their Stagecraft class.

Teacher Sara Woodhouse said the course is meant to teach students skills in theatrical special effects, makeup and prosthetics.

“The skills they learn in this class can be put to use immediately, working as apprentices to major motion picture studios,” Woodhouse said.

Woodhouse received her master’s degree from the University of Utah’s Theatre Department and brought her experience to Highland Junior High in August 2015. She said at that time the school’s theater program was non-existent.

“It was turn on the lights, open the curtain, but that was it,” she said.

Woodhouse hoped to change that and has since added five new classes to the theater department. She also introduced a “Face Off competition, patterned after the popular Syfy reality show, with hopes of inspiring her students to explore careers in makeup for film.

“This competition prepares our students to go out into the professional world of film and television and make a career,” she said.

The event was a hit and unlike many cutthroat reality shows, it helped Woodhouse’s students learn about teamwork.

“You'll see other teams helping other teams get their stuff done,” she said. “It's all about putting out a really good final product and that's what these kids have done.”

On Wednesday night, the students ‘faced-off’ for their second annual competition. The theme was “Dead Pirates of the Caribbean.” The concept is something student Alonso Sustaita gravitated towards.

"I wanted to try something new other than just painting and drawing, so I decided to try this out,” Sustaita said.

He and his team worked tirelessly to put their mask together using many of the same tools professional makeup artists in film use.

"We use things like liquid latex and plaster,” Sustaita said.

Woodhouse said she takes pride in her student’s unique work on facial special effects and their ability to adapt their design to the competition’s theme.

"I like what they come up with and I think they like it,” she said. “They get into it. So I'm happy!”

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Ashley Moser

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