From vision to reality: empowering students through filmmaking

For years, a state-of-the-art film and music facility at New Tech High School at B.F. Darrell sat unused until Trenton Starks brought it to life when he became the school’s film teacher. 

The school’s film pathway, which Starks said is Dallas ISD’s hidden gem, was the vision of Channel Hutchinson, principal at New Tech. 

“Initially, our career pathways were only in animation,” she said. “I worked with school leadership to add a pathway in film. We now have film, animation and gaming.”  

By helping his students succeed in the industry, Starks is also creating representation. 

According to the UCLA Hollywood diversity report, 6% of writers, directors and producers in the country are Black. Starks said he hopes to change that narrative by teaching his students different ways to tell their own stories. He challenges them to find value in their everyday lives through writing, literature, cinematography or sound design. 

By being a teacher, he is also contributing to increasing the representation of African American males in the classroom—only 1.3% of educators are African American men. 

“I prefer to work in minority spaces, especially because the first high school I taught at in Louisiana was 90% Black,” he said. “I had zero Black teachers growing up. I don’t want that same situation to happen for my kids. I want them to have a Black male teacher—a young one that looks like them. I want to be there for them as they progress.”