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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Jay Brownlee talked with Austintown Fitch High School student, Taylor Phillips, after Fitch's film was shown at the Friends4Friends Film Festival at DeYor Performing Arts Center on Sept. 22.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.The Austintown Fitch High School choir sang the final live performance to the song "Ashamed" at the Friends4Friends Film Festival on Sept. 22 at DeYor Performing Arts Center.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.The Austintown Fitch High School choir performed at the Friends4Friends Film Festival on Sept. 22 at the DeYor Performing Arts Center.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Austintown Fitch High School students who participated in the Friends4Friends Film Festival stood with their advisor, Bill Klein, after the awards ceremony on Sept. 22.
By ALEXIS BARTOLOMUCCI
Austintown Fitch High School participated in the fourth annual Friends4Friends Film Festival on Sept. 22 at DeYor Performing Arts Center.
This is the fourth year that AFHS has participated in the Friends4Film Festival. The festival is put on by Ok, Inc., an organization to help young people create healthy relationships and strong character. They provide educational programming that is associated with health concerns younger people may be facing like alcohol and drug abuse, bullying and dating or sexual violence.
Friends4Friends Film Festival included five different schools this year. The students had the opportunity to choose their own topic. The topics included issues that are relevant in middle and high school that students deal with almost daily.
The students at Fitch started making their video in February and finished it up in the beginning of June. The topic the students chose was sexual assault. Last year the students created a film on bullying and won the award for Best Film.
“They did a great job, it was really outstanding. It was tough because it’s a sensitive topic,” said Bill Klein, the student’s advisor at Austintown Fitch.
There were about 12 Fitch students who participated in creating the film. They would stay after school and volunteer their free time to create a film that they were proud of.
The festival showed all of the videos that five schools created. Between videos, there were live performances from the students and other guests. The last performance of the night was put on by the Austintown Fitch choir.
At the end of the festival, awards were given out and the students had the chance to go on stage a receive a trophy.
The Austintown Fitch students are looking forward to continue creating videos for the Friends4Friends Film Festival and help bring awareness to topics that students are dealing with.