Grades 7-12, Perth residents were invited to write a song and/or
create a documentary on the theme “Back Home”: exploring
the spirit and value of community, the environment and local heroes.
The documentary contest required students to speak to the theme
in 5 minutes.
The judges’ panels were comprised of experts in their fields.
Judges included broadcaster and
writer Ted Boniface, award winning producer/director Chuck Scott,
and Christine St. Lawrence, producer, director and videographer.
(Biographies of the judges can be found here.)
Winners were selected and constructive commentary provided.
Doc winners
1st- Right to Play - Tanner Trachsel
2nd- Canadian Heroes: Sir Isaac Brock -
Kenny Edwards
3rd- Gentle Rain - Cody Romphf
Honourable mention
A New Kind of Kewl- Emelie Rowe
Its Just Home – Carl Farrell,
Sebastian Russell
Off the Wall- Natalie Blacklock,
Max Martin
Documentary cash prizes of $300, $200 and $100 were awarded and
videos are posted to multiple websites.
Our Perth County student competitions provided opportunities for
youth to have a voice, to experience the excitement and challenges
involved in the creation of these art forms, and to achieve transferrable
skills that may be applied to many life paths.
Students have benefited from looking at this region through the
lens of the environment, entrepreneurship and role models. The
discussions in class and the people that donated their time and
expertise (including those that didn't make it past the cutting
room floor) all had impacts on the future of these students. Hope
for a viable lifestyle in this region, and the world at large,
has an economic impact we cannot measure in immediate dollars and
cents. The transfer of communications skills and the empowerment
of youth are invaluable investments in our future.
Through one of our judges, an opportunity opened for
entrants from our competition to compete in the HotDocs
Canadian lnternational
Documentary Festival Youth Competition.
This has forged a connection and potential for the future,
for student advancement and presentation of their work and that
of
this region, in a wider forum.
Teachers are pleased to offer a "real" assignment
to students. Skills in interviewing, presentation and marketing
have
been used and can be further enhanced in future models.
Teachers
have spoken to the excitement of ongoing opportunities and
planning for integration of documentary workshops and competitions
in school planning in both 1st and 2nd terms of the coming
school year.
Perth County Song Contest
Grades 7-12, Perth residents were invited to write a song and/or
create a documentary on the theme “Back Home”: exploring
the spirit and value of community, the environment and local heroes.
The song contest required students to speak to the theme in 3
minutes
Six winners were chosen from entries received from students from
across the county. The Judges included David Prosser, Director
of Communications for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Rick
Fox, Director of Music for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and
Barry Payne, Stratford, Ontario songwriter, whose band String Bone,
is receiving international, critical acclaim for its latest CD, nadir
Song Winners
A Place Called Home |
Poppy Kipfer - Grade 8 Montessori
Back Home | Jennifer Oesch
- Grade
11, Northwestern Secondary School
Remember
Me Forever now titled One More
Time|
Luc Fisher, Tyler Zybura, Amy
Schell - Grade
11, Northwestern Secondary School
Magic of Youth | Sam Kochany
- Grade
12, Central Secondary School
Havin' an Avon Kinda Day |
Abigail Winter-Culliford, Sadie Culliford, Gary Winter
(family entry) - Grade 8, Downie Public School
Home on Your Side |
Kirstie Carter - Grade 10, Central Secondary School
All
songs created during this competition process
are
licensed under
Creative Commons
Additionally, students participated in song writing workshops.
Workshops were an experience independent of the competition (not
a requirement to compete.)
Song writing workshops took place over a two to three hour time
slot. The students listened to examples of styles, themes, forms,
and rhyme schemes, analyzing for meaning and structure. The group
then, collaboratively, picked their own theme. They worked together
through a process creating lyrics, picking a style, a form and
a tune.
Negotiation, compromise and time pressure in the context of creativity
and a thematic goal makes for an engaging and challenging experience.
The product of this intense, compact experience was then recorded "as
is", in the classroom.
Ted is a founding member of the Writers Guild of Canada,
and in addition to some 20 national and international awards, he
has
served
on awards juries for the Geminis, Hot Docs and the Writers Guild.
He has worked as a freelance writer and
story-editor primarily in documentary and educational television.
Ted has created
writing seminars/ courses for Grant MacEwan Community College,
The University of Alberta and the Banff Centre for the
Arts. A firm believer in life-long learning Ted has recently completed
a Master’s Degree in History at the University of Waterloo,
and he is the liaison between Fanshawe College and DocFest Stratford
as the Educational Outreach Coordinator for ‘no boundaries.’
Charles (Chuck) M. Scott
Chuck Scott is an award winning producer/director
with over 235 documentary and factual television programs successfully
completed.
His production company has partnered with many producers around
the world. In addition to his work in the television and film
industries Chuck has been an active participant in the fine arts
community
in Canada. He has served on the boards of the Arts Council in Brampton,
the Art Gallery of Peel, Peel Heritage Complex and Latitude 53
in Edmonton. Chuck has served on juries
for Genies, Geminis, Saskfilm, SMPIA, NATPE awards and many more.
Christine St. Lawrence
Christine is an accomplished producer, director,
videographer, and writer.
She has worked as a photographer, film editor, writer,
and producer for the CBC, TVO, NYIT’s Computer Graphics
Lab and Hearst Publications New Media division. Along with her
husband Jim, Christine does planning, marketing and fundraising
for the Stratford Symphony Orchestra.
