On April 30, several Jackson County students enjoyed the “red-carpet treatment” at the Energy Oscars, which honored excellence in producing videos about the value of saving energy.

Jackson Energy Cooperative and PRIDE unfurled the red carpet at the Jackson County Area Technology Center to premiere four videos that promote energy efficiency with great creativity and persuasiveness.

The special guests were the students from Annville Christian Academy, McKee Elementary School, Sand Gap Elementary School and Tyner Elementary School who created the videos, along with their teachers and families. At the three Jackson County Schools, students were members of the Student Leadership Technology Program (STLP).

The students crafted scripts about why and how to use energy wisely. They acted out the scripts to produce two-minute videos. Jackson Energy edited the videos and made them available to the public at http://www.jacksonenergy.com/. The videos also will be broadcast by PRTC on the local cable Channel 9.

“We’ve gathered here this evening to honor you, our Jackson County students and teachers, for your creative minds and ‘on-a-shoestring’ video production skills,” said PRIDE’s Mark Davis, who co-hosted the awards program.

“Because of you, more families will know how to hang onto their money with simple energy-savings tips, and our community will be a greener, more energy-efficient place to live,” Davis said.

“You already have influenced thousands of people because 9,763 votes were cast for your videos online,” said Jackson Energy’s Haley McCoy, co-host. “You generated that online excitement by inviting your family and friends to choose their favorite video. McKee Elementary attracted the most online supporters, followed closely by Sand Gap Elementary. Thank you all for drawing so much attention to this important topic.”

Each school was awarded an Energy Oscar trophy, which was similar in appearance to the trophy presented to Academy Award winners.

Annville Christian Academy won the “Super Energy Hero” trophy for developing a memorable character to champion the cause of energy conservation.

The McKee Elementary School video, which recreated an evening news broadcast, took home the trophy for “We’re Not Gonna Heat Jackson County!”

Sand Gap Elementary School won the “Two Minute Tips” trophy for covering the most energy-efficiency advice in a quick video.

Tyner Elementary School earned the “Light’s Out!” trophy for its video that was filmed entirely at night, using cell phones to coordinate cameras and lighting.

Each school also earned the PRIDE Environmental Education Project of the Month Award for participating in the Energy Oscars. The award recognizes creative, effective strategies for inspiring passion and action for the environment.

“We are grateful to the educators who guided the students in this project,” said PRIDE’s Davis. “The teachers were Carol Madden, Annville Christian Academy; Angie Carol of Tyner Elementary; Nina Ingram, Sand Gap Elementary; and Jenny Wilson, McKee Elementary. Wonda Hammons, who is the Jackson County PRIDE Environmental Education Liaison and an artist, advised students at all four schools about the energy issues in their videos.”

Davis thanked Jackson County Schools and PRTC for partnering with Jackson Energy and PRIDE. He thanked the Jackson County Area Technology Center for use of its facility; Robinson’s Premier Meats and the Jackson County Extension Service for providing a reception; Clay County High School for loaning the red carpet; and Wonda Hammons and Gerald Maupin for creating an elegant backdrop for the evening.

The Energy Oscars is an environmental education program created in partnership by Jackson Energy Cooperative (www.myjacksonenergy.com) and PRIDE (www.kypride.org).

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