Let’s hear from the 2011 OMA So You Think You Know Mining winners

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

As the Ontario Mining Association prepares to officially launch the fourth edition of its high school video competition So You Think You Know Mining, we thought it might be a good idea to hear from some of the 2011 winners.  The SYTYKM winners are an accomplished group of students who have benefitted from participation in this OMA film making initiative.

The winner in the Best Overall category in 2011, which carried a $5,000 prize, was Amanda Ceniti from Georgetown District High School for “Mining: A Musical.”   In an e-mail sent to us at the OMA, she said “I am truly honoured to be a SYTYKM winner.  It is a really great idea for a competition and being a part of it was a lot of fun.”

“I am using my award money for university tuition.  I am specializing in neuroscience at the University of Toronto and taking a minor in music history and culture,” she said.  “I am very excited to start this new chapter in my life.”

Meaghan Butler from South London C.I. earned $2,500 in the Best Director category for “Mining Opportunities.”  “I have been using the money diligently, as I only have one more year of high school left and I have to start saving,” she said.  “I am planning on attending the University of Western Ontario for psychology or advertising and market research.”  She has also invested some of winnings in a charity supporting children and families in developing counties.

Josiah Scott and his team from Jean Vanier Catholic High School in Collingwood won $2,500 in the Best Original Screenplay category for “Without Mining.”  “I am honoured to have participated in and won an award in such a prestigious contest,” he said.  “People all over knew me as our group was in the town paper, on radio and talked about in our school announcements.”
 
“We had five people in our group, so we split the money equally.  I intend to buy a video camera so I can continue my film making career and one day I wish to be a director in film and/or television,” he said.  “I hope that SYTYKM sticks around for many more years to come to make other people’s dreams come true like it did mine.”  Mr. Scott received the citizenship award from his school.  He has racked up more than 1,800 volunteer community service hours.  The requirement for graduation is 40 hours.
 
And what about some of the other winners?  Raymond Xue from Don Mills C.I. in Toronto (“Tomorrow”) and Leah Gosselin from Ecole Secondaire Catholique Theriault in Timmins (“What’s Yours is Mined”) shared a Best Runner Up prize.  “Being a SYTYKM winner means a lot to me and it was a wonderful and important experience on my path to becoming a filmmaker in the future,” said Mr. Xue.  “It also means that my creativity and imagination was recognized by professional judges.  I will be going to Ryerson University to study graphic communication management.”

“Being a SYTYKM winner means the world to me,” said Ms Gosselin, who is now a grade 10 student.  “I’ve decided to put away about three-fifths of my money for school and with the rest, I’ve bought a high-quality camera that is a major upgrade from my last one and so far, I’m really loving it.”  Daniela Carlino from Lake Superior High School in Terrace Bay turned out “Career Day in Mining” and produced a video on the SYTYKM awards ceremony.  “I will be saving the prize money and putting it towards my education and I plan on attending Confederation College in Thunder Bay for film production,” she said.  “The SYTYKM competition has helped to build my confidence.”
 
What will the 2012 SYTYKM winners have to say?  The start of the fourth annual SYTYKM competition will be announced soon.  Watch the OMA website www.oma.on.ca for details.  More than $28,000 in prize money will on the table for the 2012 competition.