Case Study: Lake City High School achieves career-ready graphic design skills with Adobe Creative Suite

Progressive high school graphic arts program prepares students for career success with professional design skills using Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Design Premium software

Lake City High School’s T-Wolf Productions in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, reinvented a 30-year-old graphic arts curriculum to give students real-world design skills and a clear pathway to college or careers. After the program’s principal instructor retired, teacher Dan Armstrong faced the challenge of updating classroom technology and securing industry-standard software within a tight budget while creating a professional, career-focused CTE program.

Armstrong rebuilt the lab with new iMacs, HP workstations and a wide-format printer funded by grants, and adopted a 500-seat Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Design Premium site license to teach Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign and Acrobat. The integrated curriculum and ACA certification opportunities produced strong student portfolios, regional and national awards, college credits and successful placements in college and industry, while student-led paid projects also generated revenue to support the program.

Lake City High School

Brenda Jacobsen

Associate lecturer of Educational Foundations and Business Education, Idaho State University