Lower Macungie Middle School in East Penn School District and Springhouse Middle School took top honors during the Lehigh Valley 2019 What’s So Cool About Manufacturing? student video contest award ceremony Tuesday night at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem, PA.
More than 900 people attended the ceremony, during which Lower Macungie won the contest’s Outstanding Overall Program Award for its profile of Mack Trucks and Springhouse won the contest’s Viewers Choice Award for its video about Lutron Electronics. The Lehigh Valley contest – created by the Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC) in Allentown, PA, and teaming partners eMediaWorks, Sahl Communications, and EmpowerStar Marketing – received 123,228 votes over a three-day voting online period for the Viewers Choice Award.
Presented by Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC), the What’s So Cool About Manufacturing? contests (WSCM) give students the opportunity to connect directly with local manufacturers, document their experiences and present them in an educational and “cool” way through documentary video production. The contest was created in 2013 to generate excitement that draws students towards considering manufacturing career paths. Along with the flagship Lehigh Valley contest, there are 14 contests being held this year in other Pennsylvania areas. The contest’s format also has been adopted by groups in 12 additional U.S. States.
The Lehigh Valley Contest featured entries from 26 middle school students in Lehigh, Northampton, and Carbon counties. Contest judges also bestowed the following awards:
- Outstanding Editing: Saucon Valley Middle School (Victaulic Company)
- Outstanding Creativity: Broughal Middle School (Piramal Critical Care)
- Outstanding “COOL”: Northampton Area Middle School (C. F. Martin & Company)
- Outstanding Team Spirit: Northeast Middle School (Just Born Quality Confections)
- Outstanding Educational Value: Orefield Middle School (Ocean Spray Cranberries)
- Outstanding Videography: Nazareth Area Middle School (HindlePower)
- Viewers Choice: Springhouse Middle School (Lutron Electronics)
- Outstanding Outreach Plan: Southern Lehigh Middle School (IQE)
- Outstanding Career Pathway: (Tie) Lawrence B. Morris School (Heritage Sign & Display) and Nitschmann Middle School (Stanley Black & Decker)
- Outstanding Brand Placement: Raub Middle School (Crayola)
“The student teams and teachers put an exceptional amount of work into this contest – meeting with manufacturers, filming and editing their projects,” said Jack Pfunder, President and CEO of Manufacturers Resource Center and founder of the video contests. “The growing success of this program across the state of Pennsylvania, and the country, validates its design, which is to raise awareness for manufacturing career opportunities for our students by letting them discover and explore the field. Viewing and voting their videos online and feeling the pay-off of their hard work supports not only the students, but their schools and manufacturing in the region.”
Culinary arts programs from Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School, Career Institute of Technology (CIT), and Lehigh Career & Technical Institute (LCTI) also hosted a dessert reception and Cupcake Competition, judged by Carlo’s Bakery, Lehigh University and Factory. Water and candy were provided by Nestlé Waters North American and Just Born Quality Confections. The team from CIT took home the contest’s Sweet Manufacturing Award.
News Story Contact
Karen Buck, Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC)
Allentown, PA, 610.628.4626
Photo from Sahl Communications