LEHIGH VALLEY — On Tuesday, the “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” middle-school student video program will conclude its seventh season with the “Best of PA” Statewide Awards Event.
Due to the unprecedented challenges presented by social distancing, this year’s event will stream ‘live from home’ on YouTube, and will include 22 teams competing for first, second and third place awards.
A five-judge panel, representing eastern, central and western Pennsylvania, viewed 22 entries, representing 13 regional contests across Pennsylvania, to select the statewide award recipients.
Participating schools this year include, for the North Central region, St. Leo’s of Ridgway, which focused on Domtar; and Oswayo Valley, which focused on Napoleon Engineering.
“We are so proud of the students and so excited we will still be able to celebrate the Best of PA videos, even with all that is going on,” said Karen Buck, manager of Workforce Initiatives Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC). “The continued success of the What’s So Cool program validates its value to both STEM and STEAM education and really highlights the necessity for these initiatives, both statewide and nationwide, to help plan for a robust economic future.”
The contest, which originated in the Lehigh Valley and is the brainchild of MRC, has garnered over 3 million combined votes by the public during regional online voting dates since its inception in 2013, and more than 50% of Pennsylvania school districts have participated in the program.
The WSCM Student Video Contest gives students the opportunity to interact with local manufacturers as they gain new perspectives about careers and technology, record their experiences and present them in an educational and “cool” way through documentary video production. The “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” program includes a Pennsylvania Department of Education approved lesson plan that is in use across the Commonwealth. The contest was created to generate excitement that draws students toward considering manufacturing career paths to create a 21st century workforce.
The awards will be presented on an online platform at www.whatssocool.org, at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9.
