PINETOWN — Northside High School welcomed actress Amber Dawn Fox to the school on Friday afternoon to answer questions, take pictures and kick start a film production.

Fox’s most popular role is as Officer Bello in season five of “The Walking Dead,” but she has also been in more than 20 other productions, including “The Vampire Diaries” and “Dear John.”

Jennifer Woolard, a math and science teacher at Northside High, said she organized Fox’s visit for the students in her video production club, Big Turtle Productions, and was able to negotiate through her own production company, North Creek Productions.

She said Fox was happy to come out and visit, and will be starring in an upcoming Big Turtle short film as a history teacher discussing old legends about the Northside property.

“I got connected with her because I have a production studio here locally,” Woolard said. “I will be advising them (the students) and helping them direct.”

Woolard has been at the high school since 2001 and decided to start a club to teach the students about video and film production, as there wasn’t anything like that at the time.

The name Big Turtle is a nod to one of the club’s first short films, an environmental piece about the lives of turtles.

“It’s an outside hobby that I brought here,” she said. “We have students that have written over the past year or so a variety of shows and skits, from comedy to scary comedy.”

According to Woolard, exposing the students to a working actress will give them insight on the business and allow them to take pointers from Fox.

“It’s different because they can look at someone who is making money in the movie, show business,” she said. “It helps the local students here to meet someone who has been successful.”

Along with the production club, Woolard also handpicked other students to come meet Fox to take pictures or obtain autographs, but only the Big Turtle Productions students will be working alongside Fox.

Shelby Allen, a junior at Northside High, said she wasn’t expecting to have a successful actress come visit her school in tiny Pinetown.

“I was surprised when she (Woolard) told me,” she said. “We’ve never had that before. … People can actually learn from it and go farther out.”

“It’s exciting. I just like being a part of it,” freshman Tequila Alexander added.

Woolard said she didn’t want to give too much away on the short film, but Fox tested out the production set on Friday and will continue to work with the students to make it a success.