APS media specialists and their students win in international media competition

UPDATE: Watch D.H. Stanton’s award-winning projects here, here and here!

Eight of the 16 state competition-winning projects submitted by APS students (in collaboration with their media specialists) won at the International Student Media Festival earlier this month. Three of the winners came on collaborations with D.H. Stanton Elementary media specialist Brenda Street (pictured above, with Imani Bostic). Her winning projects came from students Derricka Jones and Shykeria Meriweather, Tanesheia Arnold and Raygan Headrick, and Imani Bostic and Derrick Pullins. The other winning schools and students, with their teachers in parentheses: Cook Elementary’s Niya Anderson (Zenobia Johnson), Gideons Elementary’s Keniya Isham and Carmia Chilsom (Veronica Jordan), Mary Lin Elementary’s Hanna Stockdale, Braden Pressmen, Elijah Coons and Nyla Swain (Kerri Mercer), B.E.S.T. Academy’s Jaquez Ward (Kellye Carter) and Grady High’s Kathleen Quillian (Joe Hirsch). APS’s 16 state winners were out of 56 submissions. This compares to 12 entrees last year, with two advancing to the international competition.

Which brings us back to Street, who is not stranger to this competition, in which student projects that may be still photographs, movies, PowerPoint presentations or animated clips. Projects may be a public service announcement (PSA), an instructional piece or a purely informative one. Winners in the Georgia contest are permitted to move on to the international competition. Yes, Street supervised the two winners in last year’s international competition.

“This competition provides APS media specialists, and their students, an international audience to showcase our outstanding student work,” said Warren Goetzel, APS’ media servics coordinator. ”In an increasingly technologically rich society, this will help student success in the classroom and later in the workplace. This is a true reflection of 21 century learning activities.”

Here’s a complete list of the winners, in order of school, media specialist/teacher, title of entry, producer (student), and type of media producation:
Cook Elementary — Zenobia Johnson, “The Life Cycle of a Butterfly; Niya Anderson (sequential stills, without audio)
Grady High — Joe Hirsch (teacher), “Arson at Paideia School’s ‘Mother Goose’ Building; Kathleen Quillian (live action)
Mary Lin Elementary — Kerri Mercer (teacher), “Babe Ruth”; Hannah Stockdale, Braden Pressmen, Elijah Coons, Nyla Swain (website)
D.H. Stanton Elementary — Brenda Street, “Don’t Hesitate!” Tessellate!”; Derricka Jones, Shykeria Meriweather (sequential stills, without audio)
D.H. Stanton Elementary — Brenda Street, “The Inuit: People of the Arctic”; Tanesheia Arnold, Raygan Headrick (sequential stills, without audio)
D.H. Stanton Elementary — Brenda Street, “Countdown to Meltdown”; Imani Bostic, Derrick Pullins (sequential stills, without audio)
Gideons Elementary — Veronica Jordan (teacher), “Digital Video Journal of Atlanta Flood 2009; Keniya Isham, Carmia Chilsom (live action)
B.E.S.T. Academy — Kellye Carter, “Beauty is … JOY”; Jaquez Ward (sequential stills, without audio)

Learn more about the International Student Media Festival after the jump.

APS joins with Crime Stoppers Atlanta to launch Campus Crime Stoppers

Atlanta Public Schools, in partnership with Crime Stoppers Atlanta, launched a new crime fighting program aimed at getting high school students and their parents involved in the crime-prevention effort. Campus Crime Stoppers was launched at a news conference Tuesday, Sept. 28, at Douglass High School.  Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Atlanta Police Chief George Turner, Atlanta Board of Education Vice Chair Yolanda Johnson, Crime Stoppers Atlanta’s  Miguel Sepulveda and Atlanta Police Foundation officials participated in the event.

The new program encourages students, parents, school-based faculty and staff to proactively report crimes and criminal activity to the Crime Stoppers Atlanta organization through the group’s Web site, by text message or by telephone. Tipsters have the option of remaining anonymous, and cash rewards are provided to those whose information leads to an arrest and indictment. News media representatives are invited to cover this event.