Williamsville Student’s Documentary Wins C-Span’s Grand Prize

For the past 17 years, C-Span has run a competition that invites students to produce a short documentary.  This year, the winner was a student from Williamsville.

The competition called StudentCam 2021 asked middle and high school students to create and produce a short documentary using the theme, "Explore the issue you most want the president and new Congress to address in 2021."

The winner was Williamsville South's own Theodore Poulin.  Theodore won $5,000 for his documentary about how and why people in America don't trust their government which he titled, "Trust Fall."

According to a press release, Theodore was among 299 students from across the country winning a total of $100,000. C-SPAN only awarded one grand prize, 4 first prizes, 16 second prizes, 32 third prizes and 97 honorable mention prizes. The winning videos will receive cash awards of $5,000, $3,000, $1,500, $750 and $250, respectively.

"With the continual shift in the educational landscape, it is difficult to overstate just how challenging the pandemic has proven for schools across our nation. We are so impressed by the resilience and ingenuity of this year's prize-winning students who have delivered among the finest short films in the history of the StudentCam competition." - Craig McAndrew, Director, C-SPAN Education Relations

If you would like to see any of the winning videos, you can find them at www.studentcam.org.

It really is amazing what students can do these days.  To think that he did this in the middle of a pandemic is really incredible.  Take a couple minutes to watch his documentary.  It really is very well done and deserves every bit of praise that he receives.  Congratulations Theodore!