Courtesy Susan Donaldson
Winners of the "Keep Streamsides Greener, Keep Water Cleaner" video contest were announced Thursday at the Carson River Film Festival in Carson City.
Katherine Hansen of Carson High School took home a $500 first prize for the best individual video and two teams won $500 prizes for the best team video and the best team animated slide show.
The contest was sponsored by the Carson River Coalition Education Working Group and was open to students in ninth through 12th grades of Carson and Douglas high schools and Carson Valley and Pau-Wa-Lu middle schools.
The video and slide show projects focused on the ecological importance of riparian areas in general and on the Carson River in particular. Although each entrant or team had a sponsoring teacher to provide general guidance, students developed their own concepts and entries.
The winners were selected privately by a panel of judges. The public was invited to watch the entries and rate them on YouTube.
Dr. Susan Donaldson, a water quality expert with Cooperative Extension and a contest organizer, said the contest gave students an appreciation of how riparian areas provide important wildlife habitat and help keep the river clean by filtering runoff.
In addition to the cash prizes, winning entries will be showcased online at www.cwsd.org and www.unce.unr.edu/NEMO.
The winners, their sponsoring teacher and school:
Video, Individual: Katherine Hansen ($500); teacher Adrienne Garbiel, Carson High School
Video, Team: Jamie Showalter (team leader) and Curtis DeVore ($500, split evenly); teacher Brian Reedy, Carson High
Honorable Mentions:
Most Compelling Music: Sierra Corder
Best Visual Use of Text: Maranda Moore
Best Slide Transitions: Christina Givens
Best Call to Action: Kalynn Boyce
Animated Slide Show, Team: Derek Paradise (team leader), David Martinez and Cody Boone; ($500 split evenly); teacher Adrienne Garbiel, Carson High
Most Viewed on YouTube: Derek Paradise (team leader), David Martinez and Cody Boone; ($100 split); teacher Adrienne Garbiel, Carson High
Popular Vote (determined by the 52 people attending the film festival): Jamie Showalter (team leader) and Curtis DeVore ($50).