The 2006 Sidewalk Arts Festival, sponsored annually by the Savannah College of Art and Design, attracted its usual crowd of the creative, outlandish, and eclectic. It also featured...the magic of online education? That's right; online learning isn't just about technology or a degree. It's also a testament to how people who may have never otherwise had the chance to meet and exchange ideas can enrich each other's lives.

Among the many student entries completed during the 2006 Sidewalk Arts Festival, one team was unique. The SCAD e-Learning team -- three students living in two different states -- had only communicated virtually until meeting in person April 28. Buddy Hill, a graphic design graduate student from Forks Township, Pa.; Kate Morgan, an interactive design graduate student from Allentown, Pa.; and Kristina Arntz, a graphic design graduate student from Atlanta, all came to compete in the chalk drawing competition and to attend the first annual SCAD e-Learning Spring Social Weekend.

Fittingly, the team's design depicted a lighthouse shining a spotlight across an immense expanse of water, guiding ships much as online education guides far-away students to educational opportunities.

(Photo: Dennis Burnett)