(above) Eight Oscar statues stand in the spotlight of the Linden High School auditorium before being awarded at the Linden Public School Academy Awards, which recognize top student-created videos.
Linden’s Best Student Videos Honored at Hollywood-Style Gala
It was a celebration that gave Hollywood’s biggest night a run for its money.
Students and staff from all Linden Public Schools gathered Tuesday, June 11, for the fourth-annual Academy Awards to honor the year’s best student-created videos from all grade levels.
The awards are named for Linden High School Academy of Science and Technology, home to the district’s Technology Department, which hosted the program in the LHS auditorium.
In his opening remarks, Director of Technology Michael Walters spoke of the overwhelming response the program received this year, with more than 150 video entrees.
“If you’re a student sitting in this room tonight,” he said to the nominees, “you should be very, very proud of yourself. “You are some of the most creative and most talented students in this district.”
Walters, who ran the program for nine years at LHS as a teacher before taking it districtwide, attributed the growing popularity of the awards program in large part to the district’s One to One technology initiative. Started five years ago, the program supplies every student in the district with a MacBook Air laptop or an iPad tablet.
He also credited this year’s expansion of the elementary school technology curriculum with spurring on the enthusiasm.
“We have a number of elementary technology teachers who have really excelled this year and brought this competition to the next level,” he said. “All of the teachers just do an outstanding job.”
Oscar trophies were awarded in eight categories, including four at the elementary level, one for middle schools, and two for high school. In addition, this year a districtwide award for Best Community/Global Service Project was presented.
“The Academy Awards have become a marquee event that puts a spotlight on student creativity that others in the district may never know about otherwise,” said Acting Superintendent Denise Cleary. “Mr. Walters and the Technology Department do a phenomenal job in organizing the event, choosing nominees and winners, and making students and teachers feel like Hollywood stars.”
Entrees were judged by an anonymous panel of administrators, teachers, students, and Technology Department staff members.
The ambience and energy in the auditorium were electric as the awards were given out. Clips of each nominee in a category were shown before the winner was announced. As each presenter said, “And the winner is …,” spotlights ran back and forth across the room, heightening the anticipation.
Winners came onstage to accept their awards, gave short acceptance speeches, then were whisked away for celebratory photos by the paparazzi.
Photos by Linden Public Schools
Submitted by Gary Miller
(above) School No. 1 technology teacher Kimberly Bachmann with students Vanessa Kolesarova and David Mejia, who won the first-ever Best Community/Global Service Project award at the Linden Public Schools Academy Awards. They created a video called “KoKo” about a character who uses positivity to counter the menacing internet figure MoMo.
(above) School No. 9 students won the award for Best Elementary School Project Grades 4-5 at the Linden Public Schools Academy Awards for a video called “Robo Gym.” Pictured are physical education teacher Brian Marcus, students Juliana Aristizabal and Vincent Vega, and technology teacher Mitch Gorbunoff.
(above) Linden High School students Gurvir Singh and Paul Niziolek along with computer science teacher Holly Sepulveda at the Linden Public School Academy Awards. They won the Best High School Student Project (Science/Technology) category for “The Trials.” The video was part of a project that also won the Congressional App Challenge, the nation’s largest computer science competition, for New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District.
(above) School No. 2 teacher Erica Huggins giving her acceptance speech at the Linden Public Schools Academy Awards. She and teacher Pelagia Lambrakopoulos won along with the fifth-grade class from School No. 2 in the Best Elementary Teacher/Class Project Grades 3-5 for “NJSLA Happy.”
