Sacramento, Elk Grove students win C-SPAN's StudentCam Competition
Video Above: Local student joins Thirst Project
C-SPAN said this year they asked students to address the theme, 'Your Message to the President: What issue is most important to you or your community?'
The winners are:
Inderkum High School student in Sacramento, Tanaya Safi, received the third prize with $750 for the documentary, 'Are EVs Truly Green?'
Students, Kiah Safi, Mihir Ratilal and Mira Prasad, from Natomas Charter School in Sacramento, won the third-prize and will receive $750 for the documentary, 'Affordable Housing: The Key To Success.'
Franklin High School students in Elk Grove, Athena Chen, Valeria Buendia and Pia Manez are honorable mention prize winners and will receive $250 for the documentary, 'A Better Healthcare Calls for A Better America.'
Educators Neil Landers from Inderkum High School, Gabriel Lang from Natomas Charter School, and Brad Clark from Franklin High School were recognized and served as advisers in the StudentCam competition.
'Congratulations to all of the incredibly talented young students who won awards in this year's competition! Through in-depth research and interviews with an array of topical and technical experts, you have crafted impactful short stories that capture issues of wide public interest and importance,' said C-SPAN's Director of Education Relations Craig McAndrew. 'Your documentaries set a very high bar for future StudentCam filmmakers, and you should be proud knowing your work will inspire your peers and foster thoughtful consideration from all audiences. We can't wait to see what you do next!'
The project-based learning experience is in its 21st year, and asked students to explore and analyze matters of personal, local or national importance, according to C-SPAN.
C-SPAN said they received over 1,700 entries and nearly 3,500 students participated with the most popular topics as:
Climate, Environment, and Land Use (11%)
K–12 Education Policies and the Cost of College (10%)
Health Care and Mental Health (10%)
Gun Violence, School Safety, and Firearm Policies (9%)
Inflation, Taxes, Government Spending, and the Economy (9%)
C-SPAN said they also plan on awarding 16 second prizes, 32 third prizes and 97 honorable mention prizes.
The cash awards for the winning videos are $1,500, $750 and $250.
The winning videos can be seen on studentcam.org.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UPI
2 days ago
- UPI
Education Department releases $7 billion held from schools nationwide
July 25 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Education finished releasing more than $7 billion in funds for school programs nationwide after a pause at the start of July, an agency spokeswoman said Friday. Last week, $1.3 billion was released with more than $6 billion remaining. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget was reviewing the rest. "OMB has completed its review of Title I-C, Title II-A, Title III-A, and Title IV-A ESEA funds and Title II WIOA funds, and has directed the department to release all formula funds," said Madi Biedermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications for the Education Department, said in an email to media, including The Hill and ABC News. "The agency will begin dispersing funds to states next week." Earlier, the Education Department didn't disperse routine payments for schools that include money for after-school and summer activities, classes for non-English learners and adults, and teacher preparation. The funding was authorized by Congress and was due July 1, before the start of the school year. The school districts were notified of the pause one day before. U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican serving West Virginia, had pushed for the funds' release. She and nine colleagues had written a letter to OMB. "This supports critical programs so many West Virginians rely on and I made that clear to OMB Director Vought," Capito posted on X. In a news release Friday, she said: "The programs are ones that enjoy longstanding, bipartisan support like after-school and summer programs that provide learning and enrichment opportunities for school aged children, which also enables their parents to work and contribute to local economies, and programs to support adult learners working to gain employment skills, earn workforce certifications, or transition into postsecondary education." Also, 24 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia filed suit July 14 seeking the funds' release. A coalition of school districts, teachers' unions, nonprofits and parents sued Monday in Rhode Island. Originally, the White House said the pause was because money was going to the "radical left-wing agenda." Secretary of Education Linda McMahon told ABC News on Thursday: "We want to make sure that we have the right focus on what we're trying to do with our students." She said it could be released by the end of the year. An administration official told The Washington Post that unspecified "guardrails" were put on the money so they align with the policy. More than 200 superintendents went to senators' offices to seek an end to the freeze. David Schuler, executive director of the School Superintendents Association, applauded the change. "On the heels of our survey released Tuesday, detailing how disruptive withholding these funds would be for our nation's students, we thank our members and allies on the Hill," Schuler said in a statement. "We appreciate their tireless advocacy, communication and outreach to the Administration about the importance of releasing these critical funds." The Education Department's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget is $66.7 billion, which is a 15.3% reduction , or $12 billion, from the previous year. President Donald Trump wants to dismantle the Education Department, with states and other federal agencies taking over the dispersal of funds, including student loans and other programs. On July 14, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed for mass firings by lifting an injunction while litigation proceeds. In March, the agency's workforce was slashed in half, with 1,378 terminated. The high court didn't rule on abolishing the agency, which must be approved by Congress.
Axios
2 days ago
- Axios
Trump administration to release billions in frozen education funds
The Trump administration will release more than $5 billion in frozen funds for schools, the Department of Education announced Friday. The big picture: The administration has been facing bipartisan pressure to release the funds, with GOP senators issuing a public plea. Driving the news: The White House Office of Management and Budget completed a review of Title I-C, Title II-A, Title III-A, and Title IV-A ESEA funds and Title II WIOA funds and directed the Education Department to release them, department spokesperson Madi Biedermann said in an emailed statement. The agency will begin dispersing funds to states next week, she added. What they're saying: Sen. Shelley Moore Capito ( who was among the Republican lawmakers who signed onto a letter urging the administration to release the funding, said Friday that the funding supports critical programs people rely on. "The programs are ones that enjoy longstanding, bipartisan support like after-school and summer programs that provide learning and enrichment opportunities for school aged children, which also enables their parents to work and contribute to local economies, and programs to support adult learners working to gain employment skills, earn workforce certifications, or transition into postsecondary education, Capito said.
The Hill
2 days ago
- The Hill
Education Department releases $5 billion to schools after monthlong hold
The Department of Education announced Friday the release of more than $5 billion of funding to schools after an almost monthlong pause. At the beginning of July, the Trump administration paused the typical release of almost $7 billion in funding to schools that went toward after-school and summer activities, classes for English learners and adults and teacher preparation programs, among other things. Last week, the administration released more than $1 billion for after-school and summer programs but declined to say when the rest would be released. 'OMB has completed its review of Title I-C, Title II-A, Title III-A, and Title IV-A ESEA funds and Title II WIOA funds, and has directed the Department to release all formula funds. The agency will begin dispersing funds to states next week,' said Madi Biedermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications for the Education Department. Republicans were quick to celebrate the release many had fought for. Both of West Virginia's Republican senators, Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice, quickly reacted to news. 'This supports critical programs so many West Virginians rely on and I made that clear to OMB Director Vought,' Capito said on X, referring to Russ Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. 'The release of these funds will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the kids of West Virginia,' Justice, a former governor, said on X. Capito had led an effort among Senate Republicans earlier this month to push for the funding release. 'Exciting news to announce! All frozen education funding for the upcoming school year have been released, following my letter to the OMB! It helps centers like @KidsCanOmaha and our schools!' Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) posted. The White House argued the funds were paused because some money was going to a 'radical leftwing agenda.' An administration official told The Washington Post 'guardrails' have been put on the money to align with the administration's agenda, similar language described in the release of the first $1 billion. It is unclear what these guardrails are or how they will affect the funding. The move received bipartisan pushback, with a letter from 10 Republican senators and a lawsuit from Democratic-led states demanding the funds be released. The pause in funds led to delays and closures in some programs and layoffs at schools in Alaska. 'We are pleased public schools will receive the funding as appropriated by Congress for the 2025-26 school year. On the heels of our survey released Tuesday, detailing how disruptive withholding these funds would be for our nation's students, we thank our members and allies on the Hill. We appreciate their tireless advocacy, communication and outreach to the Administration about the importance of releasing these critical funds,' said David Schuler, executive director of The School Superintendents Association.
