Michigan City, IN – April 14, 2022 – A team representing the A.K. Smith Career Center won the State 
Championship in Television (Video) Production on Saturday, April 9 at the Skills USA competition in 
Indianapolis.

The contest required teams of two students to produce a 60-second video based on the theme "United As 
One,” showing how individuals can unite during difficult times. Videos were judged based on industry 
standards, including the quality of video and audio, and the conveyance of the theme to the viewer.

Four A. K. Smith students, all students at LaPorte High School, took top honors in the competition: Jake 
Ellis and Grant Ott-Large won first place, and Sara Emery and Sara Villa took second place.

Ellis and Ott-Large will now advance to the SkillsUSA Nationals, which will be held in Atlanta in June.
A. K. Smith offers a course in Radio/Television production at LaPorte High School that is available to all 
students in LaPorte County schools. The instructor for the program is Don Varda.

The students’ winning video can be viewed on YouTube at https://youtu.be/W10Glz8BUjU

A nonprofit national education association, SkillsUSA serves middle-school, high-school and 
college/postsecondary students preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations. 
For more information visit http://skillsUSA.org