BJHS students score big with videos in careers contest
Seven Breckenridge Junior High School students won cash prizes at the Workforce Solutions of West Central Texas inaugural 3-2-1…Careers in Action video contest at a red carpet premiere event in Abilene on Wednesday, Sept. 27.
Middle school (6th-8th grade) and high school (9th-12th grade) students under the direction of a teacher from their schools, submitted 1- to 3-minute videos highlighting Texas’ 16 career clusters. Judges from area businesses, media outlets and education institutions met on Friday, Sept. 22, to score submissions and select the winning videos.
BJHS students were under the direction of eighth grade teacher Kaysi Adams and won several prizes, including Best in Division for middle school by Parks Gil.
Gil’s video, Fisheries Biologist, won $2,000 for best overall middle school video and $300 for best in career cluster. He interviewed Ryan Rogers, a fisheries biologist at the PK Hatchery, via email.
Brandon Baker, Aden Casto and Flavio Davila’s video, Engineering, won $300 for best in career cluster and $1,000 for first place, middle school 3A/4A. They interviewed James Escalon, an engineer with Ridge Oil.
Laney Thibodeaux, Zade Bonnette and Christian Goswick’s video, Law Enforcement, won $500 for second place, middle school 3A/4A. They interviewed Stephens County Sheriff Will Holt.
The red carpet premiere featured a screening of the winning films showcasing career clusters and occupations, check presentations, as well as remarks from the Texas Workforce Commission. The Careers in Action video contest and event were both part of Careers in Texas Industries Week, a statewide initiative connecting youth around the state to high-demand job fields.
Dale Robertson, a Texas Workforce Commission representative from Austin, was in attendance for the event. “This was a great opportunity to see young people engaged in career exploration by doing something creative, partnering with local businesses, and focusing on different career fields,” he said.
Other winners at the contest included Wylie High School students and teacher Christopher Shoemake, who won the $3,000 grand prize for their submission about the field of healthcare. Best in Division for high school went to Ira students and teacher Walt Burt. Both overall division winners received a $2,000 prize. Additional awards were presented to first and second place winners by school size and Best in Cluster winners. Video finalists were from the following schools: Ballinger High School, Breckenridge Junior High School, Clyde High School, Eula High School, Ira High School, Ira Junior High School, Mann Middle School and Wylie High School.
Cutline, top photo: BJHS eighth grade teacher Kaysi Adams and her students display their winning checks at the 3-2-1…Careers in Action video contest in Abilene. (Courtesy photo)
