Middlesex County announced the winners of the 2021 “Don’t Drive Dangerously” Public Service Announcement (PSA) contest, which was open to teens in all public and non-public Middlesex County high schools.
The full list of 2021 PSA contest winners by category are:
Audio:
First place – Dunellen High School: Chloe Cassidy, Stephanie Fetzer, Elizabeth Renavitz, Caitlyn Carlson and Na”kai Stembridge
Second place – New Brunswick High School: Merari Rodriguez, Ayanna Moore, Aylene Gomez and Bryan Cervantes
Third place – John P. Stevens High School: Isha Patel, Sharon Wei and Srisai Varanasi
Video:
First place – Middlesex County Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences: Soham Shashikumar, Yash Dixit, Shiven Sakunala and Rohan Vivek
Second place – Monroe Township High School: Shannen Woo and Hayden Woo
Third place – North Brunswick Township High School: Nicholas Moccio and Tianna Strachan
The winners were announced June 9 during a virtual award ceremony.
“On behalf of the county commissioners, congratulations to all the participants and winners who helped promote a message that can save lives. These PSAs will be an effective tool in the fight against dangerous driving,” director of the Board of County Commissioners, Ronald G. Rios, said in a prepared statement. “Not only does this program send a powerful message to young drivers, but it speaks volumes of the teachers and parents who encourage social responsibility within our community.”
Every year, each high school in the county is invited to submit a 60-second student-produced public service announcement (PSA) video or 30-second audio PSA, that highlights the consequences of dangerous driving to include driving while impaired or distracted, according to the statement. Through this program, teens use their talent and creativity to empower their peers to make healthy decisions and resist negative peer pressure while driving.
High school students from 13 schools throughout the county produced 18 videos and six audio recordings that promote driving safety to their friends and classmates. The video and audio submissions were judged on their originality, creativity, sound quality, and strength of message.
“As a public servant – and a member of the community – I am amazed and grateful to see young people making such important contributions, creating videos and recordings that will have an impact on not only their fellow classmates, but the community as a whole,” deputy director of the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners, Shanti Narra, said in the statement. “I extend my warmest congratulations to the winners of the 2021 PSA Awards.”
This event is co-sponsored by the Middlesex County Board of Commissioners; the Middlesex County Superintendent of Schools; NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety; Wellspring Center for Prevention; Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital; and MADD-NJ.