They needed replaced

When I walked into the Open House for the new Lakeside Junior High School in 2009, I was greeted with a, “Take a look around to see what you did.” After asking what she meant, I was told many people believed that if I had not created the documentary about the terrible conditions of the old buildings, the district residents would not have voted to build new ones.

I had heard a few whispers here and there about the impact that video had on voters, but nobody had actually come out and said it to me quite like that.

In 2004, the residents of the Ashtabula Area City School District would be given one last chance to pass a levy that would allow them to build new schools. The economically depressed area had already knocked down the idea three times. Only four votes were allowed by the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission.

Not too long before the election, I was asked to create a video that would promote the Vote Yes position. Since the video would air on a public access channel, I knew the video could not outwardly advocate for or against the levy.

I created the video around the question “Should Ashtabula School buildings be Replaced?” I interviewed educators, administrators and students. The documentary aired constantly for less than a month leading up to the election.

The levy passed by a comfortable margin. Lakeside High School opened in 2007, Lakeside Junior High School opened in 2009 and the five-building elementary school complex opened in 2011 and was completed in 2012.