Lauren di Scipio, the director of digital media at Warren-Walker Green Valley Academy, helps student Nicole Muhamed, 14, on Wednesday with a video editing project. The private school in Henderson opened a media studio in September that boasts about $56,000 in equipment to help students learn skills such as video and sound editing and graphic and Web design. Photo by John Gurzinski.

Freshman Chelsea Williams has been spending a significant amount of time this fall at Warren-Walker Green Valley Academy tinkering with sophisticated computer equipment learning how to compose music.

On Wednesday, some of her classmates and parents of students at the private school in Henderson, got to hear Williams' soothing one-minute score in which the sounds of a piano, drums and guitar are interwoven. Williams composed the tune by using a software program and the Internet.

"I feel accomplished," Williams said of composing her yet-to-be-named piece. "But I always feel like I can do more so I'm coming in every day to improve."

Williams has been taking advantage of her school's new media studio that opened in September.

The 900-square-foot room contains technical equipment worth about $56,000 that includes a dozen computers, five miniature video cameras as well as a larger more sophisticated camera. All the cameras have digital capabilities. The media studio's computers have software programs that allow students to learn up-to-date skills in video and sound editing, graphic design, Web design, music production and photography.

"We're cutting edge," said Lauren di Scipio, the school's director of digital media. "I tell our students we have software and hardware here that we could use to make a Hollywood movie."

About 40 students are taking six classes at the school that are focused around the media studio, di Scipio said.

Warren-Walker is located near Eastern and Sandy Ridge avenues. The school has nearly 600 students from pre-school through high school. Tuition at the school ranges from $6,000 to $13,000 per year.

The Clark County School District also offers some specialized programs with up-to-date technology for media-related fields.

The Area Technical Trade Center offers juniors and seniors in high school a program for the in-demand field of Information Technology. The program gives students access to about $90,000 in equipment that includes almost two dozen computers and 20 computer routers. Students can get up to 16 college credits if they complete the two-year program. The school serves about 600 juniors and seniors on a part-time basis. The school also offers programs in culinary arts, medical assistants and hotel administration.

Students at Canyon Springs High School have a 1,376- square-foot television studio at the school. The fully functioning studio boasts more than two dozen computers, 20 television monitors about a dozen field video cameras along with three studio cameras. About 100 students are enrolled in classes that allow them to post daily eight-minute broadcasts on the Internet only one-hour after a newscast is filmed. The equipment in the live studio is estimated to be about $200,000.

Warren-Walker junior Michael Rubinstein said working with advanced technology makes learning a lot more enjoyable. Digital editing is his favorite new skill.

"It's surprising how fun sitting in front of a computer for hours and making the slightest changes to your work can be."