Columbia – Four winners were announced today for the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee’s 2012 Video Contest focused on innovation in schools.

In the high school category, two Gold winners were selected: Hunter Bliss, a senior at Lexington High School (Lexington One), and Mason Gates, a senior at Aynor High School (Horry County School District.) Both students received iPad Minis for winning first prize during surprise announcements at their schools.

In the middle school category, one Gold winner was selected: the Girls Empowered group at Longleaf Middle School in Richland School District Two. Group members include Anaiya Moore, Donzell Benton, Jala Bennett, Mikayla Baker, Mariah Bennett, Cheyenne Sconzo, and Jala Coleman, all students at Longleaf.

Roselyn Coll, a student at West Ashley High School in Charleston County School District, was chosen the Silver Winner in the high school category. Coll will receive a flip camera at an upcoming meeting of the Charleston County School Board.

The 2012 Video Contest was open to students attending any South Carolina middle or high school. Students were asked to use a two-minute video to answer the question “how would I change schools to prepare me and my fellow students to be innovative” or “how is my school already preparing me and my fellow students to be more innovative?”

Eighty-five total entries were judged by a team of judges from the University of South Carolina Colleges of Education and Journalism, SC Educational Television (ETV), and the SC State Library. All the winning videos can be found on the EOC’s School Tube page, located at http://www.schooltube.com/channel/eocvideo/. Click on “Community Uploads.”

“These students should be commended for their exceptional talents,” said Melanie Barton, EOC’s Executive Director. “The award-winning videos, written and produced by students themselves, remind us that young people need to be prepared for a world that values innovation and creativity.”

The SC Education Oversight Committee is an independent, non-partisan group made up of 18 educators, business persons, and elected leaders. Created in 1998, the committee is dedicated to reporting facts, measuring change, and promoting progress within South Carolina’s education system.