Local teen wins New York Times video competition

WILMINGTON -- A Hoggard High School student was named first place winner of a recent New York Times contest.

Emma Claire Lisk, 16, a sophomore, spent more than two hours filming and 10 hours editing her one minute long video for New York Times' Media Literacy challenge.

"It took a long time," said Lisk. "I've been doing YouTube videos for four years, I started in sixth grade."

Lisk sold her iPad and saved up enough money to buy Final Cut Pro, Apple's video editing software.

The New York Times described the contest as a way to invite students to explore their own relationship with news by analyzing their daily “news diets,” and changing them to make them better meet their needs, and reflecting on the results. Students could choose between a 500 word essay or 1-minute video. The contest was an assignment part of Hoggard's yearlong Pre-IB English 2 program (IB stands for International Baccalaureate).

"Entering the NYT contests provides Pre-IB English students with real world audiences and purposes to write," said Pre-IB sophomore English Teacher, Leslie Lucas. "In addition, they cultivate the traits needed to become International Baccalaureate learners: caring, reflective, communicators and inquirers of social, political, and global issues."

Out of 358 students, five Hoggard students were recognized by the Times. Jocelyn Savard's essay was one of the seven best essays, Bella Cankurtaran, Emily Player and Nikki Tinnerell's video received an honorable mention. Bronwyn Williams, Phoebe Simpson, Kate Silver and Tyler McCarthy were also mentioned in the story.

"Someday, I hope to leave swim practice with articles written by opposite political affiliations having consistent facts and possibly one story that would make anyone smile," said Savard in her essay. "I have hope that we can change the way we perceive the news, possibly by changing the news first, so that my generation will be able to grow to our full potential and lead well in coming years."

Lisk -- whose mother, Amanda Lisk, has written freelance articles for the StarNews -- says the contest led her to pay more attention to news on various platforms and from different news outlets.

"I wanted people to look at themselves and look at their news choices so it would push them to look at both sides, but in a very creative way with my video," she said. "I did not look at the news before this video and now I actually engage in the news and I'm starting to learn more about what's going on in the world."

Reporter Elizabeth Montgomery can be reached at 910-343-2066 or Elizabeth.Montgomery@StarNewsOnline.com.