The Mountain Eagle
WHITESBURG WEATHER

Forward in the Fifth seeking students for video contest




Forward in the Fifth is asking middle and high school students in Letcher County to speak out about what’s going on in their schools to advance and promote education in southern and eastern Kentucky in a regional video contest.

The contest is part of a newly launched Forward in the Fifth initiative in partnership with Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative and the University of Pikeville to encourage students to share their personal success stories about education and schools in the region by creating a 90-second or less studentproduced video.

Forward in the Fifth is a nonprofit organization and affiliate of The Center for Rural Development in Somerset. Sixty-three public school districts in 45 Kentucky counties within Forward in the Fifth’s primary service area have been invited to participate in the contest and lend their support to the New Voices in Education project.

Video contest entries will be screened by a review committee and later posted on the New Voices in Education website at www.voicesineducation.org, designed by UPIKE students. Selection will be based on content, use of theme, originality, editing, creativity, and technical quality.

Students must upload their video submissions to the New Voices in Education website no later than Feb. 28 to be eligible for the contest. Instructions on how to upload videos are available from a link on the homepage.

Video registration and release forms, which may be downloaded and printed from the website, must be mailed and postmarked no later than Feb. 28 to New Voices in Education, Forward in the Fifth, 2292 South Hwy. 27, Somerset, KY 42501.

All contest entries will be categorized into middle school and high school divisions. Both student and school awards will be announced by Forward in the Fifth near the end of the 2012-2013 school year.

During the video presentations, students will be able to share powerful personal stories about their own school experiences; best practices used by educators, schools, or school districts; innovative programs in and outside the classroom; strong curriculum and robust instructional strategies; and volunteer programs that are changing the lives of students all across the region.

The contest will allow students to use existing technology — cell phones, video cameras, and other common devices — to produce their video without having to seek out highly sophisticated equipment.

Video productions may be created by individual students, a group of students, or as a school project. Multiple entries by individuals or groups will be considered. Videos about school sports are already well documented in most local communities and will not be accepted unless it is genuinely unique in promoting education for a person or group.

For more information about Forward in the Fifth, contact Jim Tackett at 606- 677-6000 or email fif@centertech.com. Visit the New Voices in Education website at www.voicesineducation.org for a complete description of contest rules and student requirements.



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