Pittsburgh, PA, October 17, 2008 -- The Ben Franklin Society, an honor society of the Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF), is proud to announce the 2008 Frederick D. Kagy Education Award recipient: the Super Shop 9 program at Venice High School in Los Angeles, California. The award will be presented to Art Lindauer, program instructor at Venice High School for almost fifteen years, at PIA/GATF's Fall Administrative Meetings, November 12-16, 2008 in Las Vegas, NV.

Venice H.S.'s "Super Shop 9" Program
The mission of Venice High School's Super Shop 9 program is to provide beginning students with an introduction to the printing industry through lectures, demonstrations, projects, and industry field trips. It provides instruction on safety, job preparation, and tool and machine usage. Students learn screen, offset, and digital printing along with computer graphic design. Second and third year students do advanced work as well as enter student competitions and apply for graphic arts scholarships. They receive on-the-job training opportunities and work on producing printing jobs for Venice High School and other schools in the community.

An Array of Real-Life, Practical Experience & the Latest Tech
Super Shop 9 maintains a very close partnership with the printing industry through student field trips, placing students in industry jobs, and via the instructor's attendance at industry meetings and workshops throughout the year. Mr. Lindauer's superb management of this program enables students to go straight to work or apply to a college or university offering advanced graphic arts instruction. The Shop continuously receives numerous state grants that allow for the latest generation of press, prepress, and postpress systems for Super Shop 9 students to train on systems they will encounter in the finest printing companies.

Industry Professionals Comment on Super Shop 9
Ara Izquierdo, VP Industry Relations at PIASC (Printing Industries Association of Southern California), nominated Art Lindauer and the Program, stating, "This program is one of the best graphic arts programs in Southern California. For many years, this Program has trained and provided the printing industry with excellent trainees right out of high school, many of whom are already working in the industry. We find Super Shop 9 to be precisely that -- a 'SUPER SHOP' -- and Mr. Lindauer to be deserving of receiving this recognition."

Emil J. Rozek of Emil Rozek Typesetting in Venice, CA, adds, "Through my many years of industry participation, I have been fortunate to observe graphic arts education throughout Southern California. Students of Venice High School's Super Shop 9 program are fortunate to be under the dedicated and inspired tutelage of Mr. Lindauer.  I can honestly say that Super Shop 9 offers the highest level of meaningful and up-to-date instruction I have ever seen."