Belton New Tech Students Win State Prize for Video Project

Students at Belton New Tech High School @ Waskow were honored at Monday night's Belton ISD board meeting after winning second place in a state video competition.

The challenge, which was open to elementary, middle, and high school students across Texas, was to create a video demonstrating what makes their school exceptional, why it deserves public support, and how it has enhanced student success and prepared them for the future.

In the video, titled 'Belton New Tech Rocks', students give a tour of the Belton New Tech campus highlighting the fantastic learning options available (robots, programming, design, etc) and dispel the myth that students won't be able to participate in sports, band, or other extracurricular activities if they enroll at New Tech. It also encourages enrollment and involvement in the school's charitable outreach programs.

Personally, I think the video is great. The editing is creative and tight, the students represent their school well, and it's clear that a great deal of polishing and fine-tuning went into it. I'm a total amateur when it comes to video editing, and find myself Googling how to do things quite often. These kids made it look easy, and knowing it's not just makes me appreciate their hard work even more.

The Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) came to the same conclusion, awarding the team who created the video second place in their statewide student video contest. TASB granted the team a prize of $2,5000 for use in their classrooms.

“The students and Kristie (film coach Kristie Shepherd) did a fantastic job showcasing the benefits of attending New Tech,” said BNTHS@W Principal Ben Smith. “The video itself is a product of the exceptional production skills from our practicum audio and video team, and I’m very proud of their work and ability to showcase the value of public education here at Belton ISD.

You can watch all the submissions to the TASB contest here, and if you see any Belton New Tech students, congratulate them on this remarkable achievement.