A series to share #smiles across our community through the achievements of our local youth, brought to you by Olsen Orthodontics.
A Lander Middle School student has been honored as a 2022 Next Generation Angels Award recipient by The Better Angels Society.
Lachlan Gebhart, who is entering seventh grade this year, earned the award for the documentary “Wolves: Bloodthirsty Menaces or Stewards of the Land?”
The film will now be entered permanently into the moving images section of the Library of Congress, according to a press release.
National History Day
Gebhart’s film was recognized earlier this year as the third-place winner in the Junior Individual Documentary category at the National History Day competition.
The Next Generation Angels Award was established in coordination with National History Day, the press release states.
Ken Burns
The Better Angels Society is a nonprofit organization that works to “ensure that the next generation of documentary filmmakers, inspired by Ken Burns and his team, receive the education, mentoring, training, and support they need to continue his legacy.”
As a Next Generation Angels Award winner, Gebhart now has the opportunity to participate in mentorship events with Burns and winners of the Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film.
Award winners will also be provided with official copyrights for their films during a virtual ceremony in October, when their projects will be entered into the Library of Congress.
“These impressive young students represent the next generation of documentary filmmakers who are already contributing to our greater understanding of our country’s complicated past,” Burns said. “Now more than ever, well-researched documentaries about American history are critical to the health of our democracy.
“I’m immensely proud of these student filmmakers for their countless hours of hard work that went into the research, planning, and execution of their films – and for so effectively engaging and educating audiences on their chosen topic.”