SAN JOSE, CA – As part of the recent civic engagement initiative launched by the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) and its partners, students had the opportunity to participate in a video contest to tell their story of how they are being civic-minded and getting others involved. The winners were just announced and recognized at the November 2 meeting of the Santa Clara County Board of Education.
Students entered as groups or individually in three grade-level categories: K-5, 6-8, and 9-12.
Winners in Grade Level K-5 are:
- First-Place Winner: "Voting Questions" from Katherine Smith Elementary School
- Lead student: Israel Alvarado. Teacher: Cheryl Bautista
- Second-Place Winner: "How to Vote" from Katherine Smith Elementary School
- Lead Student: Valeria Ruvalcaba. Teacher: Cheryl Bautista
- Third-Place Winner: "Say No to Exotic Pets" from Ruskin Elementary School
- Lead Student: Anirudh Warrier. Teacher: Enrico Amutan
Winners in Grade Level 6-8 are:
- First-Place Winner: "Keep San Jose Clean" from Peter Burnett Middle
- Lead Student: Kennedy Schoennauer. Teacher: Lisa Wiedlin
- (Tie) First-Place Winner: "Vote PSA" from College Connections Academy
- Lead Student: Arjay Reyes. Teacher: Ruth Gilley
- Second-Place Winner: "Club 41: Change the World" from Kennedy Middle School
- Lead Student: Avishi Agastwar. Teacher: Jessica Norris
- Third-Place Winner: "Civic Engagement" from El Toro Elementary School
- Lead Student: Kaile Itow. Teacher: Darren McDonald
Winners in Grade Level 9-12 are:
- First-Place Winner: "Small Actions" from Silicon Valley CTE
- Lead Student: Marisa Maciel Lopez. Teacher: Jon Furtado
- Second-Place Winner: "Don't Judge a Book by its Cover" from Silicon Valley CTE
- Lead Student: Jesus Ramos. Teacher: Jon Furtado
Photos from the Nov. 2 Board recognition and the first-place videos can be viewed at: http://civiced.sccoe.org/videocontest.aspx.
Winners who finished in the top three places received a video production kit for their teacher and classroom, and each individual student received a gift card.
The SCCOE and several partnering organizations recently launched a website, civiced.sccoe.org, as part of a comprehensive civic engagement initiative to develop resources to provide to schools and stakeholders. Partners include the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, the Santa Clara County School Boards Association, the Eastside Alliance, and the County of Santa Clara.
A committee from the partner organizations has been meeting since the spring to steer the initiative, which directly supports the goal of the Framework for California Public Schools that, by high school graduation, students are ready for college, careers, and civic life.
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