2014 Winners

Skylar Laakso, a senior at Medfield High School in Medfield, Massachusetts, heard about the video contest from her teacher and wanted to take part in a project that could have an impact beyond her school. “It’s a realistic project where we could actually get it published and our innovation could impact many people.” Her group chose the Climate Change category and then honed in on the issue of coral bleaching in order to shed light on an issue of which not everyone is aware.

Skylar’s group liked the style of video where words or images are drawn and then sped up. But achieving this involved a lot of trial and error, and the group was nervous about how it would turn out. “Some of the other groups were crazy good videographers,” she explains, “but in the end we were so impressed with our video.” Skylar also admits they underestimated the time it took to film “Climate Change – Bring Back the Color,” but notes that it was worth it to spend the extra time needed rather than rush through the filming. The result is a creative and informative video that spreads awareness of the threats to our ocean’s corals.

Skylar and her group are discussing what to do with their prize money and would like to put it to good use, perhaps donating it to a local conservation project. Horseback riding takes up most of Skylar’s free time, as well as her job as an assistant groomer at her equestrian club. She plans to pursue Equestrian Studies in college.