WPSD Student Wins Award for Public Service Announcement

Yet another Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf student video entry was given an “Award of Excellence” at the recent Television and Videos Teachers Student Film Festival held April 11 at Robert Morris University in Moon Township.

Thirty-four schools and 500 students from western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio participated in the competition—the largest turnout in the history of the event.

Industry and academic professionals from Robert Morris University and the Pittsburgh area judged the event. Each submission was scored using several criteria including storyboards and scripts, camera and editing work, lighting, audio, creativity and video impact.

Congratulations to the WPSD high school TV Broadcasting class who brought home the award for their emotional production of "The Majority Says No," a 30-second public service announcement discouraging the use of illegal drugs.

The idea for the project was conceived by 11th grader Kevin Araujo and featured his classmates, who filled the various technical roles and served as actors in the video. Assisting in the production were Adsila Lloyd, L.J. Morrone III, Destiny Quarles, Kiara Rivera Ramos, Summer Robinson, Alex Russo, Nicollette Schwab, Alyssa Swartz, and Kikki Szymanski. The spot was recorded entirely on the campus with a makeshift cemetery on the hill between the two gyms.

This year's festival occurred during WPSD's spring break, so our students were not there to accept the award in person. When we received word about the recognition, the students were brought together in the TV studio where they were officially notified of their win. They were quite thrilled at the news.

TVT (Television and Video Teachers) is an organization comprised of individuals who share a passion for teaching media. Founded in 1991, the organization currently has members in more than three states. Its goal is to provide a forum for teachers of television and video where they can network and exchange ideas and resources. Organization members also share technical resources, information, and expertise.