Knocking out the “Knock Violence Out of My School” video competition, Junior Jordan Serafimovski placed first and won $1,000.
“I felt confident (when submitting the video), especially when people reinforced my creative talent and supported my effort,” Serafimovski said.
In America, violence is a widespread topic, especially in school settings. The theme of this video competition demonstrated how prevalent violence is finding its way into schools.
“The theme was important to me being a student living in the U.S. I truly believe school violence is a tragedy. The theme also was a way to express myself in the current school system to highlight and bring attention to the violence recently seen in schools over the past decade,” Serafimovski said.
The competition guidelines specified the applicants to create a short video fitting the theme of how to stop school violence. Serafimovski’s video drew attention to school shootings from across the United States. He featured himself as an attacker with intentions of committing a crime but turned himself in before anything could escalate.
“When it comes to sending a message through my video it can only be described in one word– fear. Fear, in my opinion, is the driving force of change, without fear no change in the political and school system can occur,” Serafimovski said.
Serafimovski was able to utilize not only his skills behind the camera but also the Shelby Township Police Department to enhance the big picture of the video, making the situation feel more real. Student Resource Officer Lauren Weiss played one of the officers apprehending Serafimovski’s character.
“I was very impressed with the video. I think he got the message out to the people that watched and it was great to see that he won first place,” Weiss said.
Hitting closer to home, Michigan experienced a situation regarding violence within schools. Keeping this in mind, violence towards children in schools made appearances all over the United States. At the end he calls for a stop to the “domino effect” by urging students, school staff and politicians to take a stand.
“Many times, people want change but rarely take the necessary actions needed to make it,” Serafimovski said. “That is what my video aspires to do.”
