Barrington High's Great Minds just got greater
What started as a school-wide project at Barrington High School, the Great Minds Video Challenge is now streaming nationwide.
Six years ago, Barrington High grad Joe Elias created the commercial-making contest as a way to give students a chance to teach each other about some of the problems plaguing society.
"I think it is a great way for students to learn from their peers," he said.
The contest calls for students to create their own videos, 30 seconds to 2 minutes long, on this year's topic of healthy living. Past themes have included suicide prevention and smoking.
The goal, organizers say, is for the students to create videos similar to the "Truth" commercials seen on TV, which deliver an important message in an original and fresh way.
"These are messages students are sending to each other in their own lingo and their own understanding," Elias said. "So this way, they can relate better."
For the first time, the contest is now open to students across the country.
"We had great success last year," Elias said. "I just knew it was time to take the whole project to the national level.
Organizer and Barrington High teacher Jeff Doles said more than 400 students have already submitted entries.
The teens are able to upload their videos to the Great Minds Web site, greatmindsfoundation.org, so they can be watched by anyone with Internet access.
"This has allowed us to create a dialogue that has gone across the country," Doles said.
Barrington High senior Brad Kopp won last year's contest with his video about a man who killed three others in a drunken-driving accident.
Making the videos, Kopp said, has been a way for him to put his love of filmmaking to good use by promoting positive messages.
"I am really big into video editing," he said. "So this is a great opportunity for me to keep up with that."
The commercials, Elias said, are quite impressive.
"They are phenomenal," he said. "The quality is far greater than I thought it would be."
The deadline to enter is May 1. The best five videos will win cash prizes ranging from $250 to $2,000.
For more information, including the complete set of rules, visit greatmindsfoundation.org.
Great Minds Video Challenge
Started at Barrington High, the now-nationwide contest has students make short videos that spread positive messages to their peers on a variety of topics, ranging from drug abuse to discrimination. The winner receives a $2,000 grand prize.
• Contest is open to all high-school students.
• Videos should be under 2 minutes long and be about the topic of healthy living.
• Videos will be posted on the Great Minds web site at greatmindsfoundation.org.
• The deadline to enter is May 1.