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One-minute video captures 1st place in national contest
By Denise Dick
By DENISE DICK
ellwood city, pa.
Two city schoolteachers — and amateur filmmakers — earned national recognition for a video they created this summer about students’ preparedness for the 21st century.
Kim DeLoia, a sixth-grade teacher at Walnut Ridge Elementary, and Frank Falotico, a fifth-grade teacher at Hartman Elementary, won first place in a video contest by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.
The partnership, based in Tucson, Ariz., is a national organization that advocates for 21st-century readiness for every student, its website says.
“It had to include the three R’s and the four C’s but had to be done in a way that was entertaining,” DeLoia said.
And it all had to be packed into one minute.
The three R’s are reading, writing and arithmetic, and the four C’s are communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking.
The contest received 56 entries from all over the country.
An organization representative said each entry was judged against three criteria and then given a total score:
How clearly and directly does the message respond to the question, “What does 21st-century readiness mean to you?”
Is the story engaging? Does it pull you in a convincing way? Does it show passion and excitement? and
How well does the presentation offer a creative, innovative way of answering the question?
The video, titled, “I Am Ready,” can be viewed on the Web at thepartnershipfor21stcenturyskills238.eduvision.tv/default.aspx.
After getting an e-mail from the school district’s technology coordinator about the contest in mid-July, DeLoia contacted Falotico, and the two decided to give it a try.
They brainstormed to come up with ideas, but they couldn’t get their first idea to work.
“We had to have a plan B,” said Falotico.
After speaking with his son, Frank, of Boston, who was a film major, the two had a new idea.
“He said we had to have students saying the same thing, but saying it with a rhythm,” Falotico said.
They gathered students, from kindergarten to college, asking their children, their children’s friends and students to participate.
“One day, my husband’s car was like a school bus,” DeLoia chuckled. “I was picking kids up and taking them home.”
They played with lighting to get the right effect, selected the best kids to deliver particular lines and used filters to achieve black-and-white images. Falotico’s brother, Ray, did the music for the video.
“When we did the editing, that’s when the magic happened,” Falotico said.
They spent many hours working to create just the right look and message.
“One night, I couldn’t sleep, and I had an idea,” DeLoia said. “I was afraid I would forget it, so I sent him a text message, not thinking he would have his phone on and with him. At 3:30 a.m., I got a response.”
They submitted their work in mid-August, watched the P21 website and waited for word of how they did.
Early this month, he got a call from the organization, informing him that their entry was a winner.
They’ll travel next month to the National Summit on 21st Century Readiness in Washington, D.C. Their prize includes travel, hotel and food at the summit.