From the Nominator

There are a lot of things about The Madeira School you may not expect. With the launch of the Madeira Unexpected video, this all-girls’ high school located just outside Washington, D.C. sought to tell the story of what makes Madeira unique. Madeira girls find their voice, so naturally they are at the center of the film, and tell the Madeira story in a creative and fun way. Did we mention the horse in the classroom? The snail ziplining? A girl crowdsurfing? This video, targeted toward middle school girls, seeks to cut through the clutter of traditional admissions videos and present the school in a new and memorable way. Madeira wants prospective students to know that Madeira makes school better, by focusing on three classes a day for better retention, and being prepared for life with an internship program that allows every girl to “try it out” in the real word each year. At Madeira, girls are happy, they have each other’s backs, and stay away from “drama drama.” True. You’ve never seen a school quite like Madeira, and never seen a video quite like Madeira Unexpected.

From the Judges

WE LOVED THIS VIDEO! From the very first seconds, we were engaged, and just as the first narrator said, we didn't expect it. Shot after shot, the girls were fun, their language was modern, their humor drew us in. They showed us the campus and some of their cultural traditions... and none of it was anything we'd seen before. The script makes middle school girls feel "heard," and that their worries would be addressed here. (Same for their parents.) So many selling points... we all wished we could go there!