Burlington students win top spots in statewide video contest

The Wyoming Department of Health held a statewide video contest to promote radon awareness and in-home prevention. The competition was open to all eligible Wyoming students and the goal was to raise awareness of the harmful effects of elevated indoor radon levels. According to the American Lung Association, radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer.
Burlington students Jackson Olson and Jessie Michaels placed first and second, respectively. Olson created a 30-second animation with cartoon characters that he designed himself. He wanted to learn an animation program and he thought it would be a fun way to explain what radon is. “I liked learning about animation and I’m glad the judges liked my video. It’s something I’m interested in and I hope to learn more about video design,” said Olson. He took home $300 and will represent Wyoming in the national contest.
Michaels recruited another student, Joseph Stanworth, to help in her video, as part of a project done in Ryan Olson’s multimedia class. She won a $200 gift card.
“It’s always nice when our Multimedia Class can have a purpose to their projects.” said Mr. Olson. “Contests like this give students extra motivation to do their best work. It’s always a bonus when their projects can help inform people in the form of a public service announcement.”
Anyone interested in viewing the videos and Burlington’s other submissions can be found on Burlington’s YouTube channel “Burlington WY High School Television.”