C-SPAN Bus Visiting Local Schools To Honor Documentary Winners

METRO DETROIT, MI – C-SPAN’s award-winning state-of-the-art, 45-foot customized Bus will visit six area schools from May 28-31 to honor sixteen students who won honors in their annual student video documentary competition, StudentCam.

In partnership with Comcast, C-SPAN will present a StudentCam certificate of merit to the students during a ceremony of classmates, teachers, family members and elected officials. The winning videos will also be viewed during the congratulatory events.

Each year, since 2006, C-SPAN partners with its local cable television providers in communities nationwide to invite middle school students (grades 6-8) and high school students (grades 9-12) to produce short documentaries about a subject of national importance. This year, students addressed the theme, "What does it mean to be American? Choose a constitutional right, national characteristic, or historic event and explain how it defines the American experience."

In response, a record 6,318 students from 48 states and Washington, D.C., participated. The most popular topics among the 2,923 submissions included First Amendment rights (17 percent), equality/discrimination (13 percent) and immigration (9 percent).

"As a strong supporter of civic education, Comcast proudly partners with C-SPAN for its annual documentary competition, StudentCam. Each year, we are impressed and inspired by Southeastern Michigan area students' insight and creativity tackling national issues through their short videos. This year's winners creatively portrayed what it means to be American," said Maria W. Holmes, Director of Community Impact for Comcast Heartland Region. "We at Comcast are proud to join C-SPAN in congratulating the winning students in these cities."

Here's a look at the schedule:

Wednesday, May 29

10:30am-11:30am Assembly at East Middle school to honor winning students:

1042 South Mill Street, Plymouth, MI 48170

Sreejani Kanuri and Katherine Schornhorst are honorable mention winners and will receive $250 for their documentary, "Women in Government."

In addition to the StudentCam ceremony, the C-SPAN Bus will stay after to visit with classes.

Wednesday, May 29

1:20pm -2pm Assembly at Canton HS to honor winning student:

8415 North Canton Center Road, Canton, MI 48187

Claire Swadling, is an honorable mention winner and will receive $250 for the documentary, "With Love, America," about U.S. foreign aid.

Thursday, May 30

9:40am-10:10am Assembly at Green Hills School to honor winning student:

850 Green Hills Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48105

Aarushi Ganguly, a student at Greenhills School in Ann Arbor, is a third prize winner and will receive $750 for the documentary, "Democracy: What It Means to Be American."

Thursday, May 30 Assembly at Milan High School to Honor Winning students:

200 Big Red Drive, Milan, MI 48160

Sophia Morelock and Lia Iverson will receive $250 for their documentary, "Mind, Body & Heart."

Maxine Tewsley, Travis York and Kendall Martinez will receive $250 for their documentary, "Did You Hate Today?" about hate groups.

Emily Monroe, Abigail Penhallegon and Naomi Rossow, will receive $250 for their documentary, "Freedom of Speech: Not Just Your Right."

Friday, May 31

10:15am-11am Assembly at University Liggett School to honor winning students:

1045 Cook Road, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 48236

Carsten Higbie, Camron Herbert and Giorgio Malkoun, students at University Liggett School in Grosse Pointe Woods, are honorable mention winners and will receive $250 for their documentary, "Rails of the Republic," about the impact of American railroads.

Friday, May 31

12:30-1:15pm Assembly at Troy Athens High School to honor winning student:

4333 John R Road, Troy, MI 48085

Cameon Wade, a student at Troy Athens High School in Troy, is a third prize winner and will receive $750 for the documentary, "The Polar Bear Legacy," about American humanitarian service overseas.

Since 1993, a C-SPAN Bus has traveled across the nation in partnership with C-SPAN's cable and satellite providers for local interactions through visits to schools and community events. Visitors to the Bus will engage with the C-SPAN Bus crew and the onboard interactive tools to learn about the unique public service television network, C-SPAN's online presence and C-SPAN Classroom's comprehensive educational resources. Bus visitors will learn about C-SPAN's unique non-commercial, editorially balanced, non-biased coverage of public affairs and political events and the cable industry's commitment to funding its operations.

In Southeastern Michigan, C-SPAN programming is provided by Comcast as a commercial-free public service and can be seen on channel 96 and HD 1125; C-SPAN2 on channel 104 and C-SPAN3 on channel 105 and on the web at C-SPAN.org. Funding for C-SPAN operations, including Bus visits, is provided by Comcast and other cable and satellite TV providers.

Fans can follow the adventures of the C-SPAN Bus on Twitter and Instagram @cspanbus and online at C-SPAN.org/community.