CoSN today announced that Rancho Minerva Middle School in California’s Vista Unified School District is the winner of the first-ever Digital Equity Student Video Challenge. The school was chosen among more than 50 student groups from across the United States and Canada.
Leaders and students from Rancho Minerva Middle School will be presented with the national award tomorrow at the ASCD Conference in Anaheim, California. You can see their digital equity story and winning submission here. They will also be honored and recognized at the CoSN 2017 Annual Conference, April 3-6 in Chicago, Illinois.
“Digital equity is the Civil Rights issue of today in our communities,” said Keith Krueger, CEO of CoSN. “As the contest showed, school district and community leaders are increasingly committed to bridging the digital divide and helping all students be able to learn anytime, anywhere. Congratulations to the students and educators at Rancho Minerva Middle School, Vista Unified School District, as well as each school system that demonstrated their efforts and are making digital equity a top priority.”
For the Digital Equity Student Video Challenge, school systems submitted either a four-minute documentary or a one-minute Pubic Service Announcement on how digital equity is affecting students outside of school – and how the districts are addressing this challenge. The CoSN Digital Equity Advisory Panel launched the challenge to give students the opportunity tell their stories and elevate their voice in the digital equity discussion.
Rancho Minerva’s winning documentary was developed by a 10-member team that formed two working groups to develop the video storyboard, script, filming, and post-production editing. The video shares how the school’s students and the Vista Unified School District at large are working to connect students outside the school day as well as educating parents on the importance of increased Internet access for learning.
“I am proud of our students for their stellar work on this important project. I am hopeful that educational and community leaders will listen to their voices, which are drawing attention to a critical equity issue for our nation,” said Devin Vodicka, EdD, Superintendent of Schools, Vista Unified School District.
“I could not be more proud of the hard work our students are doing to solve this relevant, real world problem. Many of the minds that worked on this project will directly benefit from the digital equity work in which they have so deeply invested. This is an exciting moment for Rancho Minerva,” said Benjamin Gaines, EdD, Principal, Rancho Minerva Middle School.
To learn more about advancing the Digital Equity movement, please visit: cosn.org/digital-equity.
The Digital Equity Video Challenge is made possible through the support of AT&T,
Brocade, Filewave, HMH, HP, and Kajeet.
