A documentary produced by cadets at Sarasota Military Academy, a local, public charter school, received first place in the Sarasota Film Festival Student Education Category. The film, a year-long IB US History service cadet project titled “Heroines in Arms Serving Proudly,” was selected from submissions by high schools across the country.
Sarasota Military Academy (SMA) Captains Jennifer Vanston and Ebony Mackey worked with SMA Cadets cadets Daniel Hernandez-Curiel, Kacee Bonilla Martinez, Genesis Wesley, Quinn Selby-Gomez, Nicole Fic and Hannah Phillips to create the 18-minute documentary featuring local female veterans and their military service.
“We are incredibly proud of our cadets and our team for this award and the opportunity to highlight female veterans and their service to our county,” said SMA Captain Jennifer Vanston, IB/AP US History Instructor. “Through this experience, our cadets have learned valuable lessons and we are excited for the recognition this project has received.”
The film featured female veterans living in Sarasota including Amy Shlaf (Homefront), Miriam Zelin (WAC), Wendy Hobson (WAVES), Mary Bailes (Nurse, Air Force) and Marg Goundie (SPARS). Two of the veterans, Miriam Zelin and Wendy Hobson, have since passed and the documentary aims to continue their legacies.
“Sarasota Military Academy is proud to have diverse, educational projects led by creative, experienced staff intent on teaching our cadets on a global scale,” said SMA-COL Christina Bowman, Sarasota Military Academy Executive Director of Schools. “The Sarasota Film Festival award is an exciting win for SMA as we are able to showcase our cadets, our team and our incredible community through unique and imaginative service projects while creating opportunities for cadet success.”
To view the documentary, visit https://youtu.be/nfJcxR9vkHo.
About Sarasota Military Academy
Founded in 2002, Sarasota Military Academy (SMA) is a public charter school, college preparatory academy and an accredited IB Diploma and Middle Years Programme (MYP) School with two campuses located in Sarasota, Florida. Combining extraordinary academics with the highest military principles of camaraderie, focus, leadership, integrity, compassion, poise, honor and respect, SMA’s mission is to graduate young men and women who will confidently define their personal and unique goals for success in a multi-cultural and globalized world. Sarasota Military Academy High School is located at 801 N. Orange Avenue and Sarasota Military Academy Prep Middle School, is located at 3101 Bethel Lane. To learn more about SMA, visit http://www.sarasotamilitaryacademy.org/.