By: Najla Alexander
Middlesex County officials announced that C-SPAN visited Woodbridge Academy Magnet School in Woodbridge on Friday, May 30, to celebrate and honor Anisha Pyne and Vaishnavi Cheedella for their prize-winning entry in C-SPAN's annual student video documentary competition, StudentCam.
C-SPAN joined the community in recognizing Anisha and Vaishnavi at a winners' ceremony. Guests included Middlesex County Commissioner Director Ronald G. Rios, School Administration, classmates, teachers, and family members, MCPO officials say. 
According to Middlesex County officials, Anisha Pyne and Vaishnavi Cheedella, juniors, won Honorable Mention and $250 for their video, The Cost of Care.
This year, C-SPAN, in cooperation with its cable and satellite television partners, asked middle and high school students to address the theme — “Your Message to the President: What issue is most important to you or your community?” In response, C-SPAN received over 1,700 entries, and nearly 3,500 students from 42 states and Washington, D.C. participated.
“Congratulations to all of the incredibly talented young students who won awards in this year's competition! Through in-depth research and interviews with an array of topical and technical experts, you have crafted impactful short stories that capture issues of wide public interest and importance,” said C-SPAN's Director of Education Relations Craig McAndrew.
"We are incredibly proud of Anisha Pyne and Vaishnavi Cheedella for their outstanding achievement in C-SPAN's StudentCam competition,” said Superintendent Jorge E. Diaz.
“It can be challenging to stand out in a school filled with so many smart, talented, and hard-working students, but Anisha and Vaishnavi have managed to do just that with their award-winning video submission for C-SPAN’s student video documentary contest,” said County Commissioner Director Ronald G. Rios.
C-SPAN is funded by America's cable and satellite television companies as a commercial-free public service, Middlesex County authorities said. In Woodbridge, C-SPAN is available through Comcast, our local partner in the StudentCam program.
Middlesex County officials said that, now in its 21st year, this project-based learning experience asked students to explore and analyze matters of personal, local, or national importance.
The most popular topics addressed were:
-Climate, Environment, and Land Use (11%)
-K-12 Education Policies and the Cost of College (10%)
-Health Care and Mental Health (10%)
-Gun Violence, School Safety, and Firearm Policies (9%)
-Inflation, Taxes, Government Spending, and the Economy (9%)
In addition to the grand prize and first prize winners, C-SPAN is awarding 16 second prizes, 32 third prizes, and 97 honorable mention prizes, according to Middlesex County authorities. These winning videos will receive cash awards of $1,500, $750, and $250, respectively.
The StudentCam competition has awarded over $1.6 million in prizes since its inception in 2004. You can watch all 150 winning videos from this year's competition at StudentCam.org, MCPO officials stated.