Ryan Carlton, a 17-year-old senior at Vincent Middle/High School, is Shelby County Reporter Student of the Week.

Vincent Middle High Principal Gary Minnick selected him for the honor.

&8220;Ryan Carlton is a strong student, who gets along well with all types of people,&8221; Minnick said. &8220;Last year, he volunteered and then was employed in our middle school tutoring program.

&8220;Ryan has a very creative side. This was evident last spring when a video he made, &8216;The Gravity Sucker,’ was accepted for entry into the Birmingham Sidewalk Film Festival. We’re proud of him and his partner, Terri Brasher, for being honored by earning a spot in the festival.&8221;

Ryan is the son of Gary and Deana Carlton. He has two brothers, Jacob, 6, and Tyler, 10, and a sister, Jackie, 19.

Ryan said his favorite subject is media arts.

&8220;I like the computer and video editing,&8221; he said.

He said the video he and Brasher entered in the Birmingham Sidewalk Film Festival was about a man who once let go of a balloon and was haunted by it. So, he went around taking the gravity away from others so they would float away. Ryan said the video finished in the top 20.

Not surprisingly, Ryan said his favorite teacher is Paul Williamson, who teaches media arts at Vincent Middle/High.

&8220;I had him for art two years and media art two years. I get along with him real good. He’s interested in things I’m interested in,&8221; Ryan said.

Ryan is a member of the Art Club and won an award for guitar in music class, an activity he says he enjoys very much.

He helped paint a car with famous images that sold on e-Bay for $1,500.

He said his favorite superhero is guitarist Joe Satriani.

&8220;He’s good. I like his kind of music. It’s instrumental … no words. He’s like a role model,&8221; Ryan said.

He said in the future he would like to go into audio or video production. But he said he wouldn’t mind being a studio musician or doing some form of film editing.

Ryan plans to go to college in Massachusetts or at ITT Tech