WCS Students Win At Media Fair

Media are changing. It now comes in the form of audio, the Internet, multivisual, photography, slides and video, to name a few.

Warsaw students in grades K-12 participated in the District 1B Media Fair March 4 at Argos Community Schools. Sponsored by the Association for Indiana Media Educators, the media fair is a competition for student-produced forms of audiovisual materials.

District Fair winners will compete at the state media fair April 29 at Kokomo High School.

"We began working on it after Christmas break," said Brenda Houtz, Washington Elementary School teacher. "We've been working on it a good month and a half."

All students were given an opportunity to participate. One student created a Web site. Another made a video, while one group made an audio tape. Houtz said kindergarten student Zack Rooker made a photo essay display on the Alamo.

"I had a group of three kids who did an audiotape and they did it all by themselves," she said.

Students who competed in the district media fair had to be present to win.

Houtz said, "I didn't see any of them get nervous. They practiced enough and they presented very well."

Students who won, Houtz said, were "thrilled, very, very thrilled." And those going on to state are "very excited. They love doing this," she said.

The students aren't the only ones who enjoy the media fair.

"I love it!" Houtz said. "I take part in it every year."

She said it helps the students develop their creative abilities. They become better students because they have to write, express and take responsibility over their creativity.

Students and their rankings are:

Best in Audio/grades 3-5: Chandra Hand, Lauren Smolen and Kyle Tucker (Washington Elementary); Best in Audio/grades kindergarten-2: Benjamin Hudson (Washington); Best in Computer Authoring/grades 3-5: Mallory Kendall, Miranda Ettinger and Tyler Huffer (Lincoln); Best in Computer Authoring/grades 3-5: Davy Hudson (Eisenhower); First in Computer Authoring/grades 6-8: Lydia Anderson (Eisenhower); Third in Computer Authoring/grades 6-8: Brandon Dalton and Jake England (Eisenhower) and Francisco Vega (Edgewood Middle School); Best in Computer Authoring/grades 9-12: Kaitlyn Eastlund (Lincoln); Best in Computer Authoring/grades K-2: Tai Gunter (Washington) and Sarah Johnson, Zach Rooker, Erin McCarty, Richard Hernandez and Brian Krizan (Washington); Best in Multivisual/grades 3-5: Rachel Buck, Mark Hambright, Alex VanDuyne, Kyle Messmore, Travis Kempton, Daren Ransbottom and Blaine Allen (Washington); Second in Multivisual/grades 3-5: Daniel Beeson, Josh Meade, Lynnae Ball, Aron West and Katie Denlinger (Jefferson); Best in Original Computer Program/grades 3-5: Jonathan Hudson (Washington); Third in Photo/grades 3-5: Emma Schwendeman (Eisenhower); First in Photo/grades 6-8: Lauren Cooper (Eisenhower); Best in Photo/grades K-2: Zack Rooker (Edgewood); Second in Trans/grades 6-8: Jamie Dietsch and Lauren Cooper (Eisenhower); First in Video/grades 3-5: Emma Schwendemen, Stephanie Deerwester, Laine Thompson, Hillary Umbaugh, Kaveh Akbar and Adeel Chaudhry (Eisenhower); Second in Video/grades 3-5: Kyle Boyd (Eisenhower); Best in Video/grades 6-8: Lindsey Munsch, Lydia Anderson, Lauren Cooper, Lisa Eberly, Jamie Dietsch and Lindsey Stapleton (Eisenhower); first in Video/grades 6-8: Kaitlyn MacDonald and Emly Youse (Lakeview); Second in Video/grades 6-8: Jillian Harrison, Alicia Swank and Elise Smolen (Washington); First in WebPage/grades 3-5: Jake England and Brandon Dalton (Eisenhower); Second in WebPage/grades 3-5: Karl Campbell and Kaveh Akbar (Eisenhower); Third in WebPage/grades 3-5: Bryce Durgin (Eisenhower); Best in WebPage/grades 6-8: Tyler Skaggs and Ryan Edgington (Eisenhower); First in WebPage/grades 6-8: Cameron Abbott, Trent Barlow, Katrina Baumgartner, Joni Crousore, Christopher Elvidge, Jessica Hernandez, Rebecca Kamholz, Brittney Kinsey, Ruthanne Mazur, Benjamin Mundinger, Daniel Peacock, Zach Rautenkranz, Jessica Saler, Blaine Sumpter and Tyler Wadkins (Lakeview); and Second in WebPage/grades 6-8: Bryce Durgin, Lauren Cooper, Jamie Dietsch, Emma Schewendeman, Phillip Swarts and Lindsey Stapleton (Eisenhower).