Conrad Weiser wins top award
Oley Valley wins outstanding cool, Boyertown wins outstanding outreach plan, Gov. Mifflin wins outstanding videography
Conrad Weiser Middle School’s team was named the outstanding overall contestant in the Manufacturers Resource Center’s What’s So Cool About Manufacturing Berks Schuylkill Student Video Contest awards, which featured 27 regional middle schools and manufacturers.
The ceremony was held Tuesday at the DoubleTree by Hilton Reading, with 1,000 people in attendance.
The contest featured twominute videos prepared by student teams in conjunction with local manufacturing companies, with the goal of showcasing career opportunities in industry. Videos were reviewed by a panel of judges.
Conrad Weiser worked with John F. Martin & Sons, a Lancaster County-based meat processing company.
Blue Mountain Middle School won the Viewers Choice Award with its video on Clearly Clean of Frackville, Schuylkill County. More than 190,000 votes were cast over a threeday voting period in early March.
Winners in other categories were as follows: Outstanding editing: D.H.H. Lengel Middle School (Pottsville)/Hexcel Corporation
Outstanding creativity: Kutztown Middle School/ Easypak Outstanding cool: Oley Valley Middle School/ Unique Snacks
Outstanding team spirit: Tri-Valley Junior/Senior High School/Keystone Potato Products and Exeter Junior High School/Misco Products Corp.
Outstanding educational value: Wilson West Middle
School/Cambridge-Lee Industries
Outstanding videography: Gov. Mifflin Middle School/Viwinco, Inc.
Outstanding outreach plan: Boyertown Middle School West/R. M. Palmer Co.
Outstanding career pathway: Minersville Junior/Senior High School/ Prysmian Group — Schuylkill Haven
Outstanding CTE story: North Schuylkill Junior/Senior High School/Ashland Technologies, Inc.
Organizers said they were pleased with the event’s continued success.
“Seven years ago, we expanded the What’s So Cool contest to the Berks Schuylkill region,” said Karen Buck, director of workforce initiatives at MRC. “We are thrilled to have had another strong season with great community support, 27 teams who raised awareness about cool career opportunities right here in our region. This year, we proudly announce all previous area voting records were shattered, showing the increased interest in the program throughout the community. Great job, students!”
Created by the Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC) in Allentown in 2013, the What’s So Cool About Manufacturing contests draw entries from teams across Pennsylvania.
The 2023 What’s So Cool About Manufacturing contest for the Philadelphia region — which includes Montgomery County — is produced by the Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center (DVIRC). Voting for the Philadelphia region 2023 contest began March 22 and runs through March 24, and winners will be announced at a virtual awards
event on Thursday, March 30. To see the videos and to vote, visit https://www. whatssocool.org/contests/ philly/.
The 2023 What’s So Cool About Manufacturing contest for Chester and Delaware counties is produced by the Manufacturing Alliance of Chester and Delaware Counties. Voting for the Chester Delaware 2023 contest was held March 15-17, and winners will be announced at the awards
event on Tuesday, April 18 at Penn State University Great Valley campus in Malvern.
The What’s So Cool About Manufacturing Best of PA contest features videos from contests throughout the state. Awards will be presented on May 14 to the state’s top three videos, chosen by a special panel of judges. In addition, the team that received the highest number of votes per day during its contest period will also be recognized.