Last month, the Ready for Hire program in Crawford County held a book release party at Bucyrus Public Library for program participants, their families, and the community. Attendees received a copy of the art zine and had the opportunity to have it signed by the young artists.

Since November 2023, students have been honing their skills using a variety of digital art creation programs such as Procreate Dreams, Adobe Illustrator, Animate, Photoshop, and 3D Printing with Tinkercad, Fusion 360, and Blender to make phone cases, taco stands, and more. Other programs include Logic Pro X, Go Pro, Final Cut, and more.

Students also learned the technology basics of creating various digital media and audio sound clips that students could later use in multiple forms of media such as gamer profile icons, ringtones and song creation, social media intros and effects, digital fabric patterns, self-portraits, and video animation. Since not all digital media can be readily displayed, the art zine publication took still shots of creations made on the computer and placed these images into published print material for all to view.

The students involved in the program feel a sense of pride in having their work published in the art zine, available for viewing on the Bucyrus Public Library website.

Colonel Crawford sophomore Olivier said, “Being published in the zine makes me and others feel recognized and proud of our work. The work published in the zine can open up a lot of opportunities for futures in graphic design and art, too. I think the zine created a great sense of community, and it lets the published teens get a feel for what careers in graphic design or art may be like.”

The Ready for Hire Level Up program is a career-readiness program for students in grades 9-12, but the Bucyrus Public Library has used library resources to expand the program to sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students. The program aims to provide valuable and in-demand career skills such as animation, Photoshop, 3D printing, music production, digital illustration/design, and more.

Olivier, who is also a Ready for Hire intern at the Bucyrus Public Library tasked with assisting the Level Up program participants, spoke admirably of the Ready for Hire Level Up Program.

“The most enjoyable part of the Level Up program has been the opportunities and connections I’ve made with others,” Olivier said. “With most other jobs, I would not get the opportunity to build the fun skills that I do at the Level Up program. Connecting with and learning about others at the Level Up program has also been very enjoyable.”

Students interested in enrolling in Ready for Hire activities for the summer program may report to the Bucyrus Public Library in person to sign up during April and May. For more information, interested parties may follow the Bucyrus Public Library Facebook page, visit the Bucyrus Public Library website, or email Crawford County Site Coordinator Kevin Fourman at [email protected] or BPL Teen Services Manager Kolter Kiess at [email protected].

Submitted by Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center.