McClellan Congratulates Chester Middle School Students for Award-Winning Documentary

Richmond, VA – Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) recognized Evan McKinney, Ayden Greer, and David Bell, students at Elizabeth Davis Middle School in Chester, Virginia, for their winning documentary in C-SPAN’s national 2023 StudentCamCompetition.

The 2023 StudentCam Competition asked students: “If you were a newly elected member of Congress, which issue would be your first priority and why?” Their work, “Do the Twist: The Startling Truths About Opioid Abuse in America,” analyzed the systemic causes of the opioid crisis and its impacts in communities across the nation.

“I am impressed by the expertise and thoughtful work of these three students,” said Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan. “The opioid epidemic is an ongoing crisis that touches the lives of too many American families. Thank you to Evan, Ayden, and David for creating space for conversations to be had about this important topic.”

To congratulate the students, Congresswoman McClellan recognized their accomplishment on the House floor, and her remarks will be officially entered into the congressional record.

Now in its 19th year, the StudentCam Competition gives students the opportunity to explore multiple perspectives on topics that are important to them and consider solutions to address them. In response, nearly 3,000 students participated, and C-SPAN received over 1,500 entries from 40 states, Washington, D.C., and Abu Dhabi.

Watch their documentary on CSPAN’s StudentCam website. Watch her floor speech here and read a full transcript below. 

TRANSCRIPT OF McCLELLAN REMARKS

Rep. McClellan:Mister Speaker, I rise today to recognize the incredible work of three students in my district. Evan McKinney, Ayden Greer, and David Bell from Elizabeth Davis Middle School in Chester, Virginia, were recently selected as winners of C-SPAN’s 2023 national StudentCam Competition.

This year, students addressed the theme, “If you were a newly elected Member of Congress, which issue would be your first priority and why?” A topic that is of particular interest to me.

Evan, Ayden, and David created a documentary titled ‘Do the Twist: The Startling Truth About Opioid Abuse in America.’ Their work took an informative look into some of the root causes of the opioid crisis in America and its devastating impacts.

Thank you to Evan, Ayden, and David for helping shine a light on such a pervasive issue in our nation. And congratulations on winning this prize out of nearly 3,000 participants.

You made your school, your community, your Congresswoman, and our district proud.

Thank you, Mister Speaker. I yield back.