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Teen wins local YouTube contest

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

A 14-year-old from Santa Paula has taken first place in a local online contest for home-schooled students.

Laurel Springs, a private K-12 "distance-learning," or online, school in Ojai, asked home-schooled students from around the world to post "creative and entertaining" videos answering the question: What's cool about home school?

Sam Mason of Santa Paula responded with "y i homeschool," showing himself flying a plane, surfing and snowboarding — activities he gets to enjoy, he said, by getting his education at home.

Sam celebrated his birthday this weekend flying his first solo flights in an airplane. He said he will use his prize money to help pay for gas and his flying instructor.

Laurel Springs received 41 entries via YouTube, including Sam's.

They were judged by a five-person panel that included home-school parents, students and a professional video blogger. The school offered a grand prize of $1,000 and first- and second-place prizes of $250 and $100 in three age groups — 5-9, 10-13 and 14-18.

To view the winning videos, visit http://www.laurelsprings.com/videocontest/index.asp.

— From staff reports

Comments

Posted by rgadams on February 9, 2008 at 1:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)

So home-schooled kids are wasting their time on YouTube...great education, Mom and Dad! How about we throw these kids into public schooling, toughen them up and show them what to expect out of real life? And how about Sam becomes more environmentally aware, and stops polluting the air with his flight lessons?

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