The First Baptist Academy in Universal City Texas was recently announced as the winner of the first annual Viral Video Scholarship Contest created by the American Lawyer Academy. The contest was created as a community service project to help educate the public on safe driving practices. The Southwest region was sponsored by The Husband & Wife Law Team who practice personal injury and wrongful death law in Phoenix, Arizona. The First Baptist Academy won first place in the Southwest region and received a $1,500 scholarship.
The First Baptist Academy in Universal City Texas was recently announced as the winner of the first annual Viral Video Scholarship Contest created by the American Lawyer Academy. The contest was created as a community service project to help educate the public on safe driving practices. The Southwest region was sponsored by The Husband & Wife Law Team who practice personal injury and wrongful death law in Phoenix, Arizona. The First Baptist Academy won first place in the Southwest region and received a $1,500 scholarship.
Mark Breyer, the "husband" of The Husband & Wife Law Team, said, "The interest in the contest was great. We were so impressed by the quality and quantity of the entries, especially in the very first year of the contest. And to see an 8th grade class create the winning video and beat out more experienced producers was exciting."
Christi Stuebben, the student's teacher, said that the class frequently searches online for contests to enter and felt very confident in their chances of winning. In total, 45 students ages 11 to 17 worked on the video for three months. Stuebben said the entire community became involved in finding a wrecked car and staging the funeral. Phone calls to family members in other states were made, emails were sent, Facebook statuses were posted, church bulletins were printed, and local media stations were contacted to publicize the contest and voting.
When Stuebben notified her students that they had placed in the Southwest regional finals they were ecstatic. The halls flooded with students celebrating and congratulating each other for their accomplishment. Phones are not typically allowed in the school but the administration allowed the students to make phone calls and send text messages when they were told they had won the Southwest viral video contest.
The students originally planned to use the scholarship money to buy a digital SLR camera for school functions, sporting events, and yearbook photos. However, over Memorial Day weekend the school was vandalized and the windows were broken in the bus and transportation van. The students got together and decided that the scholarship money would be best spent if it was given to the school to pay for the damages. Stuebben said that the students reached the decision to donate the money on their own and she was very proud of their maturity and willingness to give.
The Husband & Wife Law Team would like to congratulate the First Baptist Academy's students and Christi Stuebben for their great accomplishment.