GAMS students earn Maker Award in Manufacturing Video Contest

Gettysburg Area Middle School (GAMS) students are molding their future, earning the Maker Award with a standout video featuring local business, SAY Plastics in McSherrystown. GAMS eighth graders competed against seven teams from across the region in the “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” South Central West Video Contest. 

“I was very excited to receive the Maker Award,” eighth grader Eleanor Frey said. “It was nice to have recognition of all the hard work that I and the rest of our team put into making the video great.”

The Maker Award is presented to the team whose video best showcases the hands-on work of manufacturing, demonstrating how professionals design, build, and problem-solve to bring concepts to life, according to contest officials. Winners were selected by a panel of judges representing both the manufacturing industry and film/video production fields.

“I was really proud of our class because I know we all worked really hard on this video,” eighth grader Riley Garretson said.

The team, which was made up of GAMS teacher Kenne Crockett’s English Language Arts students, partnered with SAY Plastics, Inc., to produce the video highlighting the craftsmanship and innovation behind modern manufacturing.

“We were proud to welcome the Gettysburg Middle School students to SAY Plastics and to be part of their ‘What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?’ Project,” SAY Plastics Project Manager Jesse Fisher said. “It is always rewarding to show young people that manufacturing is not just about equipment and production; it is about innovation, design, and finding smart solutions to real-world challenges.”

Frey and Garretson did not know anything about manufacturing before the project. 

“I thought that all manufacturing was just assembly lines and mindless work. Through this, I learned that there are actually a large range of jobs in the manufacturing field. You can work on the factory floor, sure, but you can also manage projects and design products,” added Frey.

Garretson said she learned, “there really is a job for everyone in manufacturing.”

The process entailed hopping on video web-conferencing calls through Zoom with SAY Plastics leadership to learn about manufacturing and creating an engaging storyboard that captured the power of their work. The project culminated in a field trip to the facility, where students filmed and interviewed staff, then transformed those insights into a two-and-a-half minute video.

Frey helped outline the storyboard for the video and did most of the video editing “from raw film to a polished product,” using her skills acquired in GAMS and elementary school with the platform, WeVideo.

“I think the best part was showing our classmates the finished video for the first time and seeing their reactions,” Frey said.

Garretson found the experience to be rewarding because she worked “with different people in our class.”

“I also feel like this might have made people more comfortable with public speaking, which is a good thing,” Garretson said.

The student team included: Garretson, Frey, AJ Reinhart Mitchell, Greta Hartley, Charlie Garrett, Campbell Thurston, Morgan Smith, Addileigh Knouse, Jayden Yu, and Solstice Gilbert. Through this experience, students gained firsthand insight into career paths, technical skills, and the importance of teamwork and communication. 

“We were thrilled to have Mr. Crockett lead our eighth graders through this meaningful work. This experience shows what’s possible when classroom learning connects to the real world,” GAMS Principal Kristy Caywood said. “Our students didn’t just create a video. They built skills in problem-solving, collaboration, and innovation. We are incredibly proud of how they represented our school and community.”

For more information about the contest and to see the video, please visit www.whatssocool.org/contests/south-central-pa. To learn more about Gettysburg Area School District, visit www.gettysburg.k12.pa.us.