Group of Nicolet High School seniors achieve national recognition for work behind the camera, documenting film on gun violence

By: Michael Schlesinger

Posted: Jul 13, 2025 8:00 AM CDT

NOW: Group of Nicolet High School seniors achieve national recognition for work behind the camera, documenting film on gun violence

WASHINGTON (CBS 58) -- This past spring, Nicolet High School and three of its seniors receive some very high honors. Xander Schmelzling, Brody Weiss and Caitlin Reindl won a third prize winning for an entry in C-SPAN's annual student video documentary competition, StudentCam. C-SPAN representatives actually came to the Glendale school to recognize Xander, Brody and Caitlin as well as their teacher, Kasey Romenesko, who served as their StudentCam adviser, at an assembly of classmates, teachers, family members, and elected officials.

Xander Schmelzling, Brody Weiss and Caitlin Reindl, seniors, won third prize and $750 for the video, Shots Fired, Your Message to the President.

This year, C-SPAN, in cooperation with its cable and satellite television partners, asked middle and high school students to address the theme — “Your Message to the President: What issue is most important to you or your community?” In response, C-SPAN received over 1,700 entries and nearly 3,500 students participated from 42 states and Washington, D.C.

“Congratulations to all of the incredibly talented young students who won awards in this year's competition! Through in-depth research and interviews with an array of topical and technical experts, you have crafted impactful short stories that capture issues of wide public interest and importance,” said C-SPAN's Director of Education Relations Craig McAndrew. “Your documentaries set a very high bar for future StudentCam filmmakers, and you should be proud knowing your work will inspire your peers and foster thoughtful consideration from all audiences. We can't wait to see what you do next!”

C-SPAN is funded by America's cable and satellite television companies as a commercial-free public service. In Glendale, C-SPAN is available through Spectrum, our local partner in StudentCam.

“As a long-time supporter of StudentCam, we are continually inspired by the curiosity and creativity students bring to C-SPAN’s annual competition,” said Adam Falk, Senior Vice President of State Government Affairs for Spectrum. “The program provides a unique opportunity for young people to showcase the critical thinking, problem solving and civic engagement skills essential for informed and active communities. We celebrate this year’s winners and look forward to watching Xander, Brody and Caitlin continue to follow their passion for storytelling through this medium.”

Now in its 21st year, this project-based learning experience asked students to explore and analyze matters of personal, local or national importance. The most popular topics addressed were:

Climate, Environment, and Land Use (11%)
K-12 Education Policies and the Cost of College (10%)
Health Care and Mental Health (10%)
Gun Violence, School Safety, and Firearm Policies (9%)
Inflation, Taxes, Government Spending, and the Economy (9%)

In addition to the grand prize and first prize winners, C-SPAN is awarding 16 second prizes, 32 third prizes and 97 honorable mention prizes. These winning videos will receive cash awards of $1,500, $750, and $250, respectively. The StudentCam competition has awarded over $1.6 million in prizes since 2004.You can watch all 150 winning videos from this year's competition at StudentCam.org.