Tennessee students explore state's unique legal history

NASHVILLE, May 2, 2011 — Students from across Tennessee who were challenged to produce videos on the state's unique history of law and liberty are being honored today by the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) as a part of the national Law Day celebration.

The TBA YouTube Video Contest is an initiative of TBA President Sam Elliott, who is also the current chair of the Tennessee Historical Commission and has made civics education a focus of his presidency. The contest required middle and high school students to explore the state's rich legal history and create a three-minute video about an event, circumstance or person who played an important part in that history.

All winners will receive cash prizes. The two first place winners will be invited to attend the TBA's annual meeting in Chattanooga on June 17 and have their winning videos shown to leaders in the state's legal community.

Middle School Winners

Middle school winners are as follows:

First place goes to Anna Whittemore of McMinnville, who was sponsored by Homeschooling Outloud of Murfreesboro. Whittemore will receive a cash prize of $250 for her video on Tennessee textile mills and labor laws. Her sponsoring organization will receive a cash prize of $500. Watch the video here

Second place goes to St. Mary's Episcopal School students Lisa Alrutz, Harlan Hutton and Eliza Oehmler of Memphis who will share a cash prize of $125. Their video on the children's reform movement in Memphis can be viewed here

Third place goes to Clarksville students Jadasie Carroll, Morgan Funk, Sheila Phillips, Brooklyn Stanly, William Ward, Natalie Wieber and Kristen Williams, who will share a cash prize of $75. These students at St. Mary's Catholic School created a video about the desegregation of Clinton High School. See their work here

High School Winners

High school winners are as follows:

First place goes to Vivian Hughbanks of Signal Mountain, who was sponsored by the Chattanooga Southeast Tennessee Home Education Association Mock Trial Team. Both she and the team will receive a cash prize of $500. Her video about the "Battle of Athens" focused on illegal election activity in McMinn County and the citizen fight to restore integrity to the political system there. Watch the video

Second place goes to Raney Shattuck of Knoxville, who wins a cash prize of $300. Her entry focused on the impact of the Scopes Trial, both in Tennessee and around the nation. Watch it here

The third place prize goes to Anu Patel, Elida Kalugendo, Josh Holland, Marvin Miller and Stephen Wyatt of John Overton High School in Nashville, who will share a cash prize of $200. Their work looks at the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case of Baker v. Carr, which, based on a case from Shelby County, gave federal courts authority to intervene in and decide reapportionment cases. Watch their video

Honorable Mention

The following individuals and groups were awarded an honorable mention in the competition:

Lacey Chaum from St. Mary's Episcopal School in Memphis, who created a video about the Scopes Trial.

Germantown High School students Ben DiGiovanna, Jared Dover, Chidozie Emelue, Chigozie Emelue, Matt Loyd, Michael Loyd, Eric Ruleman, Daniel Sakaan, Nathan Waters and Cameron Weathers, who created a video about the Civil War battle of Fort Pillow, which was fought in Henning, Tenn.

Nashville School of the Arts students Alex Lusk, Alex Williams and Gustav Zuniga created a video about the Scopes Trial.

Nashville School of the Arts students Halle Ballard, Bailey Borders, Simon Mire and Julian Simpson-Kirsch created a video about the Nashville civil rights movement.

Morgan Banker, Brandon Bass, Rachael Licavoli, Eric Moon and Shawn Steffey -- students at Hardin Valley Academy in Knoxville -- created a video about the history and legacy of Andrew Jackson.