Verizon to Install Fiber Optic Cable;
Design Competition in Progress

By: Eliot John Hagen (April 18, 2005)

George Mason High School has been chosen to be a pilot school for Verizon’s Fiber-Optic (FIOS) installation.  In addition to this, the company is sponsoring a design competition for all GMHS students ages 13-20.

The fiber optics will be installed in the TLC 3 and the VPA lab (Mr. John Ballou’s room) for the duration of the competition.  All George Mason students ages 13 to 20 are eligible to participate in the week-long graphic design course and the competition itself.  Prizes range from a $5,000 scholarship to computers and iPods.  Registration for the competition will be held outside the cafeteria beginning Tuesday, April 19.

The competition allows you to do one of the following three options; design a music video to pre-recorded footage, design a graphic poster that celebrates the power of light in your town, or design a website that shows how the Internet affects the way you live in your community.

No experience is necessary, there are no academic prerequisites, and attendance at the graphic design class is optional, although strongly advised.  Contest entries must be created using the specific software which will be installed in the GM labs. The deadline for the competition is May 28, 2005, and it is then that the submissions will be sorted into age groups (13 to 15 and 16 to 20), so as to keep the competition fair. Seven student advocates have been chosen to spread the word about the design challenge; those of you who wish to join, please visit Mr. Ballou’s room.  These student advocates will be putting up posters and handing out flyers in addition to verbal advertisement.

Sophomore Eliot John Hagen, a Student Advocate for Verizon, puts up a poster announcing the Design  Challenge.  Registration will take place outside the  cafeteria beginning Tuesday, April 19, 2005

To enter the design competition, please register outside the cafeteria this Tuesday through Friday.  Late registration is allowed.  There is no fee to enter and there is no elimination process.  The competition is open to residents of Falls Church City and those areas of Arlington and McClean where FIOS service is being offered.

All work submitted will by judged by celebrities in their respective fields.  Winners will be selected based on originality, appropriateness to theme, technical prowess, creativity and use of supplied materials.  For additional information contact Mr. John Ballou or Ms. Eileen Backofen.