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That day is a chance for the roughly 500 students at the continuation high school to use workbooks and lessons to explore their interests and figure out what they enjoy in life.
The program is a partnership with the nonprofit organization Roadtrip Nation.
“The program gives them the opportunity to gain that exposure and to explore a pathway or future that might relate to their passion or what they’re interested in,” Roadtrip Nation co-founder Mike Marriner said.
Bowman is the first continuation high school in California selected to pilot the Roadtrip Nation Experience.
Roadtrip Nation has been around since 2001, but it started its educational curriculum last year with about 2,000 students, Marriner said.
Marriner expects about 25,00 students to experience Roadtrip Nation this year.
Roadtrip Nation is especially important for the students at Bowman, who are at risk of dropping out of the high school, organizers said.
“This is our way of making that connection with them and pushing them forward,” Bowman Principal Robin Geissler said, “giving them that support and idealism and momentum.”
On Friday, Roadtrip Nation’s leaders visited Bowman to inspire the students in their filmmaking journeys.
“You guys have way more potential,” “Roadtripper” Ray Ricafort said. “You have (people) that believe in you. Take it, use it and make yourself better.”
Many Bowman students said they didn’t know what to do with their lives.
“The things that you are most passionate about usually are the things you are most scared to do,” “Roadtripper” Mariana Iglesias said.
In the coming weeks, students participating in the filmmaking program will hit the Santa Clarita Valley in groups of four to find people to interview.
Their final lesson will be creating a short film that tells the stories of people in the Santa Clarita Valley.
“Everybody has a story that is unique to them,” Wilson said.
Students will use filmmaking software at Bowman, thanks to grant money from College of the Canyons.
The community college will also provide interns who will work with Bowman students to make the short films, Geissler said.
Bowman and Roadtrip Nation hope to continue the partnership in years to come.
“We want this to be part of the normal curriculum,” Marriner said.
