This story was published in the January 2004 issue.

Paint Branch High School and Winston Churchill High School Win CINE Golden Eagle Awards for Animated Public Service Announcements:

"The Arts Will Animate You," three animated public service announcements created by 26 Winston Churchill High School (Potomac, MD) students and "Take a Walk," an animated public service announcement created by 20 Paint Branch High School (Burtonsville, MD) students, have each garnered a prestigious CINE Golden Eagle Award. CINE, (Council for International Non-theatrical Events), a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization, has recognized the work of outstanding filmmakers, video producers, directors and other craftspeople in the film and video industry since 1957. Both professional and pre-professional productions are judged for such criteria as creativity, visuals, and effective communication to the intended audience. An awards ceremony will be held at the National Geographic Society's Grosvenor Auditorium in Washington, D.C. on April 22.

"The Arts Will Animate You" was created during a 30-day visual arts residency supported by an Artist-in-Residence Program grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, with additional funding from Churchill's Academy of Creative and Performing Arts and the Churchill PTSA. Visiting artist Leila Cabib introduced students from grades 9-12 to the basics of drawn and cut-paper animation. The PSAs, which have been broadcast on Maryland Public Television, Montgomery County Public Schools Instructional TV and Montgomery Community Television's Cable Channel 21, promote Churchill's Academy of Creative and Performing Arts and the value of arts education.

The musical soundtrack accompanying the three PSAs - which includes harmonica, keyboards, guitar and vocals - was composed and performed by juniors Leah Gibian and Anna Su. The animations were created by Danny April, Henry Chow, Russell Chowdhury, Lizzy Cockrell, Anna Ferrara, Geri Gallas, Laura Garcia-Lopez, Fred Nawabi Ghasimi, Lauren Hoxie, Joyce (Inn Young) Kim, Christian Kirklighter, Preethi Kumar, Susan Lee, Dan Levy, Jennifer Murphy, Joon Park, Sebastián Rodríguez, Melissa Rothstein, Katie Schiff, Rachel Sherbill, Evan Shulman, Jen Siegel, Laura Sillers and Noreen Tahir.

This is the second year in a row that Paint Branch High School students have garnered a CINE Golden Eagle Award. Their animated video, "Move Over, Moon," was honored last year.

"Take a Walk" was created during a five-day animation workshop taught by visiting artist Leila Cabib in March 2003, funded by Paint Branch High School's Signature Program of Science and Media and by a grant from The Washington Post Educational Foundation. Each student created an original character and, through a series of drawings, animated that character walking. A voiceover provided by student Caryn Albert points out the health benefits of walking. A musical soundtrack, dubbed "Triphop" by its creator and performer, Ryan Scherer (Paint Branch '03), accompanies the characters' walks. The PSA will be broadcast on Montgomery Community Television's Cable Channel 21 and on Montgomery County Schools Instructional TV.

The animators who created "Take a Walk" are Hasnat Ali, Julian Artunduaga, Nehemiah Bernal, Chris Bope, Khellie Braxton, Kelvin Ford, Soheib Hamid, Dennis Johnson, Derrick Jones, Amee Kothary, Mike Kwon, Hector Neira, Mike Nelson, Dennis Nguyen, Nenita Rollakanty, Ryan Scherer, Geneah Scott, Devin Swanson, Katie Waterworth and Dru Wooton.