2012 International Student Media Festival:

Close to 100 projects recognized with six earning “Best of Festival”        

Close to 100 projects from Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS)   students earned recognition this year during the 2012 International Student   Media Festival (ISMF), an annual program that provides teachers with a   unique opportunity to motivate, educate, and inspire students to excellence   in their academic pursuits through the creative use of media technology.  

The student winners, their teachers, and their parents are invited to   receive the awards in person during the awards ceremony at this year’s ISMF   conference, Nov. 1-3, 2012, in Louisville.        Out of 159 GCPS entries that qualified for the international event, 97   were recognized—79 of the entries received “Excellence in Media Production”   awards, 12 of those entries were honored with both the ‘Excellence in Media   Production” and “Judge’s Favorite” awards and six received the “Best of   Festival” recognition, the competition’s highest honor.        

The six Gwinnett projects honored with “Best of Festival” are:  

From Britt ES and teacher Sara Forrester:    ·    “Snowman, Snowman” -- Sequential Stills (with audio)       Student Producers: Jasmine Anthony, Mary Grace Auld, Anna       Banegas-Brodnax, Elizabeth Brito, Sierra Driessen, Tala ElMahi, Riley       Frandsen, Vanesa Gutierrez, Damond Hartley, Jumel Haynes, Christian       Irving, Lykina Kay, Kallia Pierce, Dwight Robinson, Mason Rogers,       Cameron Simmons, Amare Smith, and Jenna VanSant.    

From Gwin Oaks ES and teacher Rebecca McClellan:    ·    “John F. Kennedy” – Live Action       Student Producer: Reuben Dayal (now enrolled at Five Forks Middle)     From Gwin Oaks ES and teacher Amanda Alligood:    ·    “Super Supreme Sound!” – Web Site       Student Producers: Ms. Alligood’s 4th grade class    

From Peachtree ES and teachers Dorothy Swindle and Deborah Westbrook:    ·    “Matter” – Sequential Stills (with audio)       Student Producers: Luckson Gondwe and Cassandra Rico   From Phoenix HS and teacher Pasha Souvorin:    ·    “Can’t Tell Me Nothin’” – Live Action       Student Producer: Tyler Thompson    

From South Gwinnett HS and teacher Page Ferris:    ·    “Life is Beautiful” – Sequential Stills (with audio)       Student Producer: Megan Rosenberger          The competition began at the local level when 544 entries moved up   from the local schools to compete during the Gwinnett Student Media   Festival. Of those, 291 projects moved on to the state competition and 159   went on to compete at the international event.        

Through this program, Gwinnett teachers expand teaching and learning   opportunities. The use of media, as part of the curriculum, fosters   learning by developing academic skills, including reading comprehension,   math, and the ability to plan and analyze. In addition, the development and   creation of media festival entries actively involves students in their   learning.  

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