ECISD gets Emmy nomination
Oct. 31—Ector County ISD may gain a little glamour for itself in a few weeks when the winners of the Lone Star Emmys are announced. The district was nominated for a video called "A New Reality in Virtual Reality" about the neuroscience program at George H.W. Bush New Tech Odessa.
Magaly Nieto, a communications specialist, and Chief Innovation Officer Jason Osborne submitted the work. Nieto is the producer, photographer and editor on the piece and Osborne is the producer.
The announcements will be made Nov. 11, Osborne said.
"The virtual reality software that we showcased in the Emmy-nominated video, we were the first district in the world to roll that out at any scale and the first neuroscience course, (for) which that software was utilized," Osborne said.
"... This is the first of its kind; so first of its kind in a classroom; first of its kind data. It gives an opportunity for the district to showcase some of the opportunities that we're doing to a broader community. That community is obviously going to be the state of Texas, but then that carries outside the state as well as this is exposed and people (who will) see all the great things that are happening in Ector County ISD," he added.
There are 19 Chapters of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences nationwide. The Lone Star Chapter is one of them.
The National Academy website said each Chapter awards Emmys in their region. The chapters are also responsible for membership to The National Academy, Regional Student Production Awards, Regional Scholarships and Regional recognition with Silver and Gold Circle honors. Regional Chapters also hold programs, seminars and events for National Academy members, the site said.
"You're competing statewide. You're competing with TV stations. You're competing with anybody that is producing video. They are ... cities, schools, news stations across the state. It is hard to get nominated," Nieto said.
Osborne said they were able to do it with a very small team and the tools they had. Other organizations had larger teams and more resources.
Nieto said the nomination is not given easily.
"... They have different things that they look at when they nominate a story. They look at the uniqueness of the story. They look at how we put that story together. ... Like Jason said ... the story is so unique because a lot of people are not using the same technology that we're using. That's why we thought it was a great story to submit because it's something unique and we put a little bit of effort behind it just to showcase it the best way we could with the ... tools we have here," she added.
When he found out they had been nominated, Osborne said he was "floored." They loved the video and the information that was captured in it.
"... We just got so many great responses, but as Magaly had mentioned, we didn't really know what our chances were because we were going up against some pretty hefty competition ...," Osborne said.
The announcement of the winners will be in Dallas. They'll show short clips of the Emmy nominees and then call the winners to the stage.
Osborne said they are trying to figure out who can go. He has a prior commitment in San Diego.
Nieto noted that the Communications Department is working hard to highlight the good things happening in ECISD.
"I think it opens up the doors for more opportunities for people that want to produce work and share good work," Osborne said. "I think it opens up opportunities for ECISD to get more coverage on the great things that are happening, so yeah, does it set the bar sure. You constantly want to produce better and better."
Osborne said he has shared the video with other districts and they are trying to figure out how replicate it.
"Through a media lens, we're able to contribute to a broader impact both here internally with ECISD, but then also education as a whole. We all have to help each other, so this is just another way of communicating those efforts and increasing capacity to better education for students holistically, nationally and globally," Osborne said.
He added that it is drawing students to New Tech and the hope is that the neuroscience program will expand to other campuses.
Chief Communications Officer Mike Adkins said they don't produce videos, graphics, or stories with awards in mind.
"But this is really is a piece of just what we're doing. Going along with the entire idea of leveling up in the school district, we really want to produce quality work. It's first and foremost about telling our stories; making sure the community knows and understands, in this particular case what kind of courses are available to kids and the things that the teachers and kids are doing in the classroom," Adkins said
Nieto recently documented a teacher professional development trip to look for fossils in the Dallas area.
"... Magaly did a great job of that. She followed those teachers to that ranch and followed them all over it (and) really captured an amazing professional development experience that the Innovation Department and ECISD provide for teachers. Those are the stories we want to capture ... We want our community to understand the things that are happening and opportunities that are available to kids, teachers and staff members. We want it to be really good and so if we have the chance to enter in a contest and be recognized for that work, we're going to take advantage of that opportunity and and it is really nice to be to have your your work recognized and acknowledged by others ... It'd be nice to win, but it's an honor to be nominated," Adkins said.
