Glen Cove High School Attends Locust Valley Film Festival and Dilgard-Clark Earns First Place with her PSA

Glen Cove High School’s GCTV program made a strong impression at the 20th Annual Locust Valley High School Film Festival, marked by a major victory for junior Charlotte Dilgard-Clark winning First Place in the PSA category.

The festival is a highly selective annual event, with organizers reviewing over 11 hours of student-produced footage this year. Out of 13 submissions from GCTV, only three films were selected for screening at the festival. Glen Cove also had the most students participating in the event with 40 students. 

In Chris Barry’s TV3 class, students are tasked with creating a Public Service Announcement (PSA) on a topic they find personally meaningful. For Charlotte, her choice was clear: AED (Automated External Defibrillator) awareness. 

The inspiration came from an incident in the spring of 2024. Charlotte’s mother, Carolyne Dilgard-Clark, attended a board of education meeting, a meeting she hadn’t originally planned to attend. While at the podium, she suddenly collapsed. Fortunately, a quick-thinking group including Dr. Angela Raimo, Ida Johnson, and Erin Nastri immediately began CPR. Harrison Velentzas, who was a high school senior at the time, knew where the nearest AED was located, a quick response that ultimately saved her life.  

The  production process involved a difficult ethical decision. Charlotte and Mr. Barry debated whether to broadcast the live footage of her mother’s collapse. While the material was deeply personal, Charlotte recognized its potential to save lives. 

“Charlotte made the executive call to include the footage, feeling it was handled with the necessary taste and impact,” said Chris Barry. 

Dilgard-Clark’s award-winning project, “Know Where the AED Is,” stood out for its technical execution and real world evidence. Charlotte shares this success with Javier Rumipamba, TV Tech, who assisted with the edit, and cameraman Robert Gobbo, whose work helped bring the message to life. 

“The competition in the PSA category was intense,” said GCTV teacher Ms. Lasser. “The work submitted was stellar and well-edited, but Charlotte’s piece was incredibly effective. She really nailed the delivery and it showed.” 

Dilgard-Clark also submitted a second piece in the Comedy category, titled “How to Make a Friend” featuring Skylar Benzinger.

The Locust Valley High School Film Festival celebrates the best in local student cinema, featuring categories such as comedy, drama, commercial, horror, documentary, and PSA. 

The success of these students is a testament to the dedicated mentorship within the Glen Cove Media Department. Special thanks go to teachers Chris Barry and Valerie Lasser for their guidance and for fostering an environment where student creativity can thrive on a competitive stage.

Congratulations to Charlotte, Skyler, Robert, and the entire GCTV team for their hard work and success!

Note: The District reminds the community that AED units are available and accessible throughout all school buildings.

Watch Charlotte’s PSA