TD student goes statewide with filming skills
Riley Elliott’s PSA on staying safe during the holidays was chosen by Gov. Kate Brown to be shown around the state. It was also picked up by NBC Sports Northwest. Riley is a sixth-grader at The Dalles Middle School.
The Dalles’ own Riley Elliott has gained a statewide stage this holiday season.
The Middle School student used her iPod and the help of her little sister, Rozlyn, to create a public service announcement for Governor Kate Brown in the days before Christmas.
Gov. Brown and her team asked students to tell people in 30 seconds or less how they plan to safely celebrate the holidays in light of rising COVID-19 cases in Oregon and around the country.
“It was fun,” Riley said late last week. “I’ve just been kind of bored and at home, and I wanted to show everybody that we can make it through, and we can have our lives as normal as possible even if we have to improve the way we are doing things, making them better and safer.”
“You showed incredible creativity and perseverance during this challenging year,” Gov. Brown told Riley and other students who created announcements. “I’m so proud that Oregon students have been able to develop ways to stay safe and create new traditions this holiday season.”
Riley said her mom, Tanna Elliott, gave her the email about the contest, and Riley took it from there. Riley’s father is Tanner Elliott of East Cascade Electric.
Riley said she used iMovie to edit the film.
“I have taken a photography class so I do know a few things about taking pictures. So, I got the gist of that sort of thing at 4-H camp.”
The video can be seen here. Riley’s PSA starts at 2:28.
Her hard work is continuing to pay off. NBC Sports Northwest picked up Riley’s PSA and plans on running it during the next several days. The spot was shown during the Blazers Warm Up on Dec. 26th. It is also expected to be seen and heard on the Brian Noe Show and on Rip City Radio.
That’s pretty heady stuff.
But Riley’s been breaking down walls for a while now.
Last year, she and classmate Makenna Cramblett took on plastic silverware at their school cafeteria at Dry Hollow Elementary. They were able to eliminate the waste of some 1,500 pieces of plastic going to the landfill daily.
“One step at a time, we can improve our environment,” Riley said, noting the school switched to reusable silverware in the lunchroom.
Riley is hopeful that some good lessons will come out of the pandemic.
She said learning to meet new friends was difficult in the first year of middle school, but she and some of her new classmates from Chenowith Elementary and Colonel Wright Elementary have set up ZOOM meetings to learn more about each other.
“I think it is going to be better,” she said. “A lot of people who do not like school as much might not take school for granted anymore. It used to be hard to get up early and get dressed and get to school. But now maybe we’ll wake up easier and respect teachers more - I think that is what is great about 2021.”
On a side note, Riley said she created the announcement in a couple of hours on the day it was due. Hey, Riley, we here at CCCNews may have a spot for you on our staff :) Good Job!
