When Jon was in high school he developed a real love of cinematography and all types of digital media. He found out that he could change people’s perceptions on just about any subject by making a movie. The person who developed that talent was his teacher, Paige Beaumont Christie, affectionately referred to as “Beaumont”! She taught him to express himself and challenged him in a way no other high school teacher ever had.
He loved going to her class and spent countless hours picking the right font, background, and music to match every video. He worked tirelessly on storyboards, videotaping for Iron’s Edge and for Film Competitions, all under the watchful eye of Paige. He took every class available in Unit 5 and his Senior year the only way to take more was to spend part of his day at Bloomington High School, but Jon wouldn’t leave “Beaumont”.
I think it would be accurate to say that Jon never met a class deadline. But Paige never let that get in the way of his drive for perfection. I think she single handedly proved that Unit 5 could meet its mission statement “to meet the individual needs of every student”. Even after high school she helped him edit his films and worked often at home helping him create videos for family members birthdays, funerals and Brenda the love of his life.
Paige designed t-shirts, buttons, and Hero Capes for the H.E.A.L. Foundation and with the help of Digital Media students from NCHS printed them without charging for her Art Work and designs which saved HEAL Foundation hundreds of dollars. We estimate that Jon had approximately 75 teachers during high school, not including administrators, counselors, resource and special education teachers.
Our family selected the one that mattered the most to Jon to honor tonight. We honor you Paige “Beaumont” Christie for your gift of Inspiration and for the many films we have to remember Jon.
