Students honoured for job-safety videos

Provincial high-school winners move on to national contest

Workplace safety videos created by six Alberta high school students are moving on to a national video competition after garnering provincial awards Wednesday.

Edmonton-South West MLA Matt Jeneroux presented the awards at a ceremony held at the River Cree Resort.

“These are guys that are in high school, and they’re about to go into the working world for the first time,” Jeneroux said after the ceremony. “In their brand-new jobs and brand-new careers, for them to be cognizant of this is really important.”

Jeneroux said he was impressed with the innovation and skill the students displayed in creating and editing their videos.

“I’d thought they’d want to go into film,” Jeneroux said, “but one wants to be an engineer, one wants to be a welder, and one wants to be a doctor.”

The contest kicked off North American Occupational Safety and Health Week, which runs from May 5 to 11.

Strathcona Composite High School students Daylen John Cabral Mackey, Lee Vanden Ham and Valentin Fedotov won first place for their video called It’s Your Job to Ensure Your Safety, which features a lifeguard who knows the safety rules but rushes through them and consequently falls victim to a gas leak. The teens received a $1,000 award from the province, which is matched by the school.

Second place went to Bishop Carroll High School student Dominic Ling, and third place went to Stirling School students Chris O’Brien and Del Hyggen. Second and third place prizes were $750 and $500, and those also matched by their respective schools.

Human Services spokesman Brookes Merrit said the 2013 competition drew more entries than previous years because the province is working to raise awareness about workplace safety. The videos will now move on to a national competition, Merrit said.