C-SPAN To Visit Birmingham To Honor Documentary Contest Winners

BIRMINGHAM, AL - C-SPAN will make a trip to Birmingham April 24 to honor two Ramsay High School students who won the news channel's documentary contest in March.

Ashleigh Richardson and Ta'Kaiya Cooper submitted a documentary they made titled, "You Matter," which was about the 15th amendment. and won $1,500 for their work on the film. Richardson and Cooper's film was one out of a record 2,985 video submissions from more than 5,700 students in 46 states and Washington, D.C. They were two of only 16 second place winners. Students worked in teams or as individuals to address a wide range of public policy issues, from the freedoms of the First Amendment and the right to bear arms, to equality and the powers of Congress.

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During the visit, C‑SPAN will present a StudentCam certificate of merit and oversized prize check to the students during a ceremony of classmates, teachers and family members to recognize their winning achievements in the national competition. The winning videos will also be viewed during the congratulatory event.

Each year, since 2006, C-SPAN partners with local cable providers in communities nationwide to invite middle school students (grades 6-8) and high school students (grades 9-12) to produce short documentaries on a subject of national importance. This year, students addressed the theme, “The Constitution & You: Choose a provision of the U.S. Constitution and create a video illustrating why it's important to you."

“Congratulations to Ashleigh and Ta'Kaiya as second-prize winners in C-SPAN's national StudentCam documentary competition – it’s a terrific recognition,” said Adam Falk, Senior Vice President, State Government Affairs, Charter Communications. “This year, C-SPAN's StudentCam contest gave students the opportunity to learn more about and deeply appreciate the U.S. Constitution and its impact on our local community. We are proud to partner with them on this important initiative.”

Visit www.studentcam.org to watch all the winning videos for 2018.

Photo from Birmingham City Schools

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