Round Rock Students' Video Series Yields Lessons In Tolerance

ROUND ROCK, TX -- After hearing some of their fellow students perpetuating negative stereotypes about people of other genders, races and religions, two Canyon Vista Middle School students decided to do something about it.

Eighth-graders Maggie Findell and Emma Monreal, both contributors to the Canyon Echoes student news website, launched a video series they titled Everyday Canyon Vista.

Round Rock ISD officials shared their story in the district website.

“We created Everyday Canyon Vista to give a voice to students who may not always stick up for themselves,” Monreal said. “The project gives students an opportunity to talk about races, genders or religions that they identify with and address those stereotypes.”

The two have created four videos featuring students speaking about their experiencing following the Islam religion, being of Latino or African-American descent or simply living the life of a girl. Their fourth video highlights the Asian American experience.

“The videos also have students talking about who they are in addition to being a certain race, gender or religion,” Findell told district officials during an interview. “After we filmed the first video, we knew we wanted it to continue.”

Findell and Monreal are producing the video series entirely themselves after having gauged the interest in the subject matter from fellow students. The videos are filmed after school and edited during newsmedia class.

“There are a lot of issues that students don’t talk to a teacher about in the classroom, for instance bullying and stereotyping,” Wilkinson said. “Everyday Canyon Vista is completely student created. They’re being real and honest and it’s starting important conversations.”