Groton Student Wins Recognition for Documentary in C-SPAN Contest

Fourth Former Michelle Kim has won an honorable mention in C-SPAN’s StudentCam competition, which challenges students in grades six through twelve to create short documentaries on issues of political and societal importance.

Michelle and a partner answered this year’s challenge—“Explore the issue you most want the president and new Congress to address in 2021”—with a film titled The River of Change: Fighting Corporate Dominance. The short documentary tackles the corporate world’s role in and responsibility for the globe’s environmental challenges. “We decided to shine a spotlight on corporations and their complicity in furthering the dangers of climate change—something that does not get talked about enough,” Michelle said.

More than 2,300 students entered the StudentCam contest, submitting entries from forty-three states, the District of Columbia, Singapore, and Pakistan. Of the entries, 150 received recognition. 

Michelle and partner Ella Warner interviewed a wide range of experts. Among them: Dr. David Black, an environmental activist and Groton School environmental science teacher. "Our main goal with creating this documentary was to educate our audience using different perspectives, whether that be from a scientist (big thanks to Dr. Black!), an actor/environmental advocate, or the CEO of a waste management company,” said Michelle.

“Despite our interviewees being people of different backgrounds, the understanding that climate change is devastating to our planet is universal, and we should continue our fight against it by addressing powerful corporations and political figures.”