Wellington High School Students Win 1st Place Scholarship In National Video Contest

Victoria Loredan and Khania Stephenson, students from Wellington High School in central Palm Beach County, won first place in the 2022 Districts Make the Difference Student Video Contest. The national contest encourages high school students to learn about the local governments that provide their families essential services such as water, electricity, fire protection, wastewater, garbage removal, and more.

Students were challenged to make a video of less than 60 seconds that would raise awareness and understanding of the special districts that serve communities and regions across the country. Special districts are local governments that are formed, owned, and governed by a community to specialize in meeting a specific local need. The video contest is organized annually by Districts Make the Difference, the public outreach campaign launched by the National Special Districts Coalition (NSDC).

As the first prize winners, they will receive a $2,000 scholarship, while second place winner, Julianne Elizabeth Jones of Oregon will receive $1,000 and third place winner Aditi Rai of Nebraska will receive $500. In addition to their scholarships, each student nominated a teacher who will receive an additional $500 to put towards their classroom. Victoria and Khania selected Ms. Nancy Toussaint to receive this cash prize.

“We appreciate each of the videos that were submitted from across the country,” said FASD Executive Director David Ramba. “It is rewarding to see students learning about special districts and the impact districts have on communities. Congratulations to each of the scholarship recipients.”

With many entries from 14 separate states received this year, it was a tough competition for all who entered. Initial entries were scored by NSDC officials based on accuracy, video quality, and entertainment value. The ten videos with the highest overall scores were posted on the Districts Make the Difference Website for public voting to determine the three winners.

To see all the winning videos and to learn more about all special districts, visit DistrictsMaketheDifference.org.