Some students at Douglas Taylor Elementary School brainstormed about ways to show off Chicago. Monday morning they prepared to put those ideas into a video. Their video may be shown during the NATO summit.
"We find different places to go, and it's not always the same, so...you get to see things that are fun for us that the kids could enjoy, not just the parents," said Jazzmun Aquilera.
All Chicago public school students were invited to produce a video welcoming those participating in the NATO summit this May.
The video Taylor's students are making includes their favorite places. Some you may know and some are in their own backyards.
"Calumet Park, we're right by the lake too, so during the summer we can go hang out at the field house or at the beach, go swimming in the lake," said Nicole Viveros.
"I absolutely adore downtown. It's my favorite place in the world. I love going down there," said Gabriela Pantoja.
The students taped their parts in front of a green screen. That little media trick allows images to be editing into their background.
The NATO Host Committee wanted to involve young people in the summit and give the international visitors an idea of Chicago's diverse population.
The young video producers will serve as mini ambassadors to the city when their videos are played.
"The children, they're our future, what they have to say is important," said Julio Pimentell, Taylor Elementary School teaching assistant. "They're developing their world views and they're developing their ideas of how everything works, so it's good to give them this chance to express themselves."
Taylor's video will be editing with help from N3 Logic.
The deadline for videos is April 27. The videos can only be three minutes long.
A winning video will be selected among the elementary students and another winner will be chosen for the high school entries.
The videos are to be shown in hotel lobbies on loops.
