Pubdate: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 Source: Charlotte Observer (NC) Copyright: 2006 The Charlotte Observer Contact: http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/78 Author: Bernie Petit Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) STUDENTS TAKE 2ND IN FILM CONTEST Concord Cannon Duo Tackled Drug Policies For 'StudentCam' Concord Cannon seniors Lauren Bacchus and Mike Burke recently finished second in C-SPAN's "StudentCam" contest. The national competition invited middle and high school students to produce documentaries exploring current political topics using C-SPAN programming. Bacchus is a 17-year-old Davidson resident; Burke is an 18-year-old from Mooresville. Their video, titled "Something Has to Change," focused on the country's drug policies. They received $750 for their efforts. The video aired last Friday morning on C-SPAN and Burke participated in a phone interview with network president Brian Lamb during the show "Washington Journal" afterward. Bacchus said they started the project by recording network footage because "we really don't watch C-SPAN." While watching, they saw a segment on the war on drugs and became interested in the topic. The students, who have known each other for seven years, had made a few "silly" movies before. The documentary, though, was the first serious film they attempted. They interviewed students and teachers at their school and at Davidson College to get a cross-section of society for their film and interviewed U.S. Rep. J.D. Hayworth R-Ariz. Bacchus said she and Burke didn't know much about their topic before starting the documentary, and they then discovered they weren't alone. "It seemed as though people could say they were for the war on drugs or against the war on drugs," Bacchus said, "but when you asked them why, they became a little less sure of themselves." And while the students enjoy making movies together, neither is sure they'll pursue that interest as a career. Bacchus, the daughter of Adrienne and Jim Bacchus, said she will probably study communications or political science at UNC Asheville and that she's interested in working in the communications industry or journalism. Burke, son of Madeleine and Patrick Burke, said he wants to take some film courses at the College of Charleston, but that he'd like to do something science-related as a career. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek