STATE COLLEGE, Pa., April 25, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- C-SPAN will air a national award-winning video by Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School student Alan Shimp at 6:50 a.m. Friday, April 26.
Shimp, 11, an accelerated student taking sophomore courses, won national first place in the high school division in the C-SPAN StudentCam contest on the topic "What's the most important issue the President should consider in 2013?"
Shimp's message is that his generation had no vote when the $16 trillion national debt was run up but will have to help pay it off. "That's taxation without representation," he said in the 8-minute video, "Free Candy."
Shimp is to be presented a check for $3,000 from C-SPAN at a public awards ceremony Thursday, May 16, at 9 a.m. at the Centre County/Penn State Visitor Center, 800 E. Park Ave., State College, Pa., 16803.
State Sen. Jake Corman and PA Cyber school officials are to be on hand to congratulate Alan and his parents, Ed and Ginger Shimp of State College. Following the ceremony, a C-SPAN mobile educational vehicle will be available at the site for the public to tour.
Interactive technology on the C-SPAN Bus informs visitors about the network's in-depth public affairs event coverage, its web offerings that include archived video, and interactive quizzes to test visitors' knowledge of the political process and key figures in American politics.
The Shimps moved to Pennsylvania from Chicago two years ago specifically to enroll Alan in a cyber charter school and maximize their involvement in his education. The family lives in State College, Pa.
"We used to live in Illinois and there are no cyber charter schools in that state. That's the whole reason we moved to Pennsylvania, so he could take classes online," said Ed Shimp.
Alan Shimp plans to use the award money to further his video work, save some for college, and donate a portion to a local pet shelter.
His video "Luddites and Leaders" recently won the "Best Use of Technology Award" in the Carnegie Science Center i5 digital video contest, again competing against high school students. In it he compares opponents of online schools to the so-called Luddites who took sledgehammers to new labor-saving textile machines in 19th Century England.
Taking advantage of the flexibility of PA Cyber, Shimp and his father have made trips to historical and cultural sites over the past two years, making brief, entertaining and educational videos about each site to post on YouTube . A link to their work is at "Escapades of Ed and Alan."
Earlier this year, Ed Shimp was flown to California by YouTube, which honored him for his work with his son as one of 10 national YouTube innovators.
PA Cyber Charter School is Pennsylvania's first, largest and most successful statewide K-12 cyber charter school, with 11,500 students enrolled from nearly every school district in the state. The website is www.pacyber.org and toll-free phone number is 1.888.PACYBER.
Contact Jill Valentine, 724.624.0473
SOURCE PA Cyber
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