Student Video Contest Streamed ‘Live from Home’, Instead of Harrisburg, Tuesday
LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa. – “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” (WSCM) is proud to announce the award recipients for the third annual “Best of PA” Statewide Awards Event. The awards show streamed ‘live from home’ on YouTube today, and featured the winning selections from the 22 teams competing for first, second and third place awards.
A five judge panel, representing eastern, central and western Pennsylvania, viewed 22 contestant entries, representing 13 regional contests across Pennsylvania and a total of 200 student videos, to select the statewide award recipients.
“We are so proud of the students and so excited to celebrate the Best of PA videos, even with all that is going on,” said Karen Buck, Manager of Workforce Initiatives Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC). “The continued success of the What’s So Cool program validates its effort to promote manufacturing career pathways and STEM and CTE education statewide and nationwide, and to help plan for a robust economic future.”
This year’s awards are as follows:
First Place: Saint Clair Middle School – featuring Hydro
Second Place: Reading Southern Middle School – featuring Novipax LLC
Third Place: Oil City Area Middle School – featuring Matric Group
You can watch the Award show here!
The Springhouse Middle School team, who featured Sharp Packaging Solutions, was recognized for garnering the largest number of regional vote totals across the state, during three days of online voting where all Pennsylvania teams competed to win their regional Viewers Choice Award.
The “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” Student Video Contest, which originated in the Lehigh Valley and is the brainchild of MRC, has garnered over 3,000,000 combined votes by the public during regional online voting dates since its inception in 2013, and more than 50% of Pennsylvania school districts have participated in the program.
The WSCM Student Video Contest gives students the opportunity to interact with local manufacturers as they gain new perspectives about careers and technology, record their experiences and present them in an educational and “cool” way through documentary video production. The “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” program includes a Pennsylvania Department of Education approved lesson plan that is in use across the Commonwealth. The contest was created to generate excitement that draws students toward considering manufacturing career paths to create a 21st century workforce.
This season’s original 16 participating regional contests in Pennsylvania included 250 middle school teams from Berks Schuylkill, Central Susquehanna, Chester Delaware, Lehigh Valley, North Central, Northeast, Northern Tier, Northwest, Philadelphia Region, Pittsburgh Central, Pittsburgh East, Pittsburgh North, Pittsburgh South, PA Forest & Oil, South Central, and West Central.
Funding for regional pilot contests is provided by the PA Department of Community & Economic Development. Funding for the statewide Awards show is provided by Platinum Sponsor: Nestlé Waters North America, Gold Sponsors: PA Manufacturing Extension Partnership and RETTEW, and Silver Sponsors: Catalyst Connection, Hydro, MANTEC and Chester County Economic Development Council. Regional Program Partners: Catalyst Connection, Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit, Chester County Economic Development Council, Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center, Innovative Manufacturers’ Center, Manufacturers Resource Center, MANTEC, North Central Workforce Development Board, Northern Tier Regional Planning & Development Commission, Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center, NWIRC, and The Foundation of The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce.
For more information regarding the “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” Student Video Contest please visit: WhatsSoCool.org/BestofPA, www.WhatsSoCool.org, or follow on Twitter @WhatsSoCoolPA.
