Three students at Point Loma’s Correia Middle School were rewarded for short documentary-style films they made for the C-SPAN network’s 2025 StudentCam competition.
Students, parents, teachers, s and C-SPAN representatives turned out to honor the young filmmakers at a gathering May 21.
The trio’s works were among nearly 1,700 student entries from across the country.
For the 21st edition of the competition, C-SPAN asked contestants to focus their films on the issue most important to them or their community as though they were presenting it to the president of the United States.
Harper Haden and Helena de la Houssaye, seventh-graders at Correia Middle School, won second prize and $1,500 for their video titled “One Pill Can Kill,” a look at the fentanyl crisis and how the San Diego-Mexico border plays a role in fentanyl and other drugs entering the U.S.
Daniel Steinhauer, an eighth-grader at Correia, received an honorable mention and $250 for his video, “Preservation of Our National Parks,” which features insights from park representatives and volunteers on why funding and preservation of national parks are vital.
“We want to make sure the three of you are recognized for your hard work, because we know how difficult it is to put together these videos,” said Rachel Katz, relations manager for C-SPAN. “We have a team of former teachers at C-SPAN and they judged all 1,700 videos. If you are a winner, your video has been watched multiple times.”
Albert Velasquez, government affairs manager for Cox Communications, which partners with C-SPAN on the project, said “We are so proud; these are all fantastic. And thank you to the teachers and families of these students for being the guiding lights and being so ive.”
The winning Correia students also received certificates of recognition from Margaret Doyle, representing San Diego City Councilwoman Jennifer Campbell, whose District 2 includes Point Loma.
“These videos are just amazing,” Doyle said. “To know we have two prize-winning videos, not only in San Diego but in this room, is very exciting.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom also weighed in via a video played at the ceremony.
“The films you produced are important parts of the discussions we need to be having, not just in the state of California but across our nation,” Newsom said. “I am married to a documentary filmmaker, so I know a thing or two about how powerful films can be and I also know how tough they are to make. I want to express my gratitude for your sacrifice and for sharing your action with ion. You are making a difference.”
Daniel’s film focuses on Point Loma’s Cabrillo National Monument and California’s Yosemite National Park.
He said he especially feels that “Yosemite is one of those places that you can go and you really feel like you are in nature, which is what it should be.”
Yosemite park ranger Mirella Piceno said in Daniel’s video that “we as rangers can do everything we can, but if you have 5 million visitors come to Yosemite, 5 million people can leave their trash around the park.”
Harper and Helena’s film features perspectives of law enforcement and border agents in the fight to minimize fentanyl entering the country.
“When we were interviewing the director of U.S. Customs and Border [Protection] for Southern California, we learned that 236,000 people cross the border every day, which I found very surprising because I don’t think a lot of people realize how many people are actually coming from Mexico to San Diego,” Harper said.
Helena said they concluded through their interviews that “we need to start scanning more cars [coming over the border] so it is harder for fentanyl to get into San Diego.”
Still, Harper said, there is no lone solution to the crisis.
“You have to attack it from all sides,” she said. “You have to use a combination of investing in education and resources and technology and also, hopefully, decreasing the demand for drugs.”
Daniel’s video, “Preservation of Our National Parks,” can be viewed at bit.ly/3Hbd8R3.
Harper and Helena’s video, “One Pill Can Kill,” can be viewed at bit.ly/4keGuwL.
