“I’m amazed by the work you’re doing here — it’s inspirational,” said VP of State Government Affairs Brian Gregory of Charter Communications, in a ceremony at Charlotte Latin School celebrating a Grade 11 filmmaker. 

As an assignment in her AP U.S. Government and Politics class this year, teacher Amy Zinn instructed her students to make short documentary films about contemporary issues and enter them in C-SPAN’s 2024 StudentCam competition. (The cable network C-SPAN, founded in 1979, has been sponsoring versions of the StudentCam contest since 2004.) In its 20th year, StudentCam drew entries from more than 3,200 students from 42 states and Washington, DC. Evan Curb ’25 entered a six-minute film titled “AI’s Influence on Learning”; it was a Third Prize Winner in StudentCam’s High School East Division, earning Evan a $750 prize. On Tuesday, April 30, C-SPAN representative Zach Lowe visited Charlotte Latin to honor Evan.

Also in attendance at Anne’s Black Box Theater were Charlotte Mayor Pro Tem Danté Anderson; Devonte Wilson, an aide from the offices of U.S. Representative Jeff Jackson; Gregory; and dozens of Evan’s classmates, teachers, coaches, and family members.

Dr. Sonja Taylor, Associate Head of School, welcomed the guests, saying “We are proud of Evan, knowing that he embodies several of the attributes described in our school’s Portrait of a Latin Leader. These include being a Curious Learner, Dynamic Communicator, and a Conscientious Thinker.”

Lowe, Education Resource Specialist at C-SPAN,  then introduced the prize-winning video, pointing out that fewer than 10% of StudentCam entries received laurels, and that only 11 videos from North Carolina were honored.

Evan Curb, Amy Zinn, and Zach Lowe followed the video with a panel discussion about its creation; Zinn explained how her class had spent every Friday in the fall semester working on their StudentCam videos. “The research took up the bulk of the time,” Evan said. He initially researched the topic of how artificial intelligence affected modern warfare before shifting his focus to the impact of AI on students. Evan said that the assignment was particularly rewarding because of his family background: his father used to edit TV shows, and doing his own editing work had made him respect that skill even more. Pressed by Lowe on how he would spend the $750 prize money, Evan mentioned that he was looking forward to an exchange program in Germany and that he hoped to buy some souvenirs there.

Their conversation was followed by a sequence of tributes — “We heap as much praise as we possibly can on Evan,” Lowe promised.

Anderson presented Evan with a congratulatory letter from Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, while Wilson passed on the regards of Representative Jackson’s entire staff, telling the audience to “reach out to us any time.”

In his remarks, Gregory commented on how Evan’s video seemed like a harbinger of the future — “It makes me look over my shoulder, saying, “Look out, they’re catching up to me,’” he joked. 

In a prerecorded video, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper congratulated all the StudentCam winners from the state, saying “I hope you’ll keep telling the stories that matter.”