Schools

East Haven Students' Safe Teen Driving Video Among Top 10 Finalists

East Haven SADD Club members band together and create safe teen driving video, which has been selected as a finalist in statewide public service announcement contest.

East Haven High School students have artfully wielded the camera — and done it again.

Teen driving safety advocates from around the state have ranked the best entries in the 2012 DMV teen safe driving video contest — and East Haven High School's entry has earned a place among the Top 10 finalist (see video posted above.)

The video was produced, directed and edited by members of the school's SADD Club.

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A public-service video competition, the contest is open to high-school age teenagers statewide and drew more than 100 entries. The five top winners, which will be chosen out of the current Top 10 finalists, will be announced at an April awards ceremony.

Community

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This year, the students focused on the theme “How A Community Helps to Make Teens Safe Drivers” that also included laws tailored to this age group.

The governor and 25 other judges chose the Top 10 finalists among the 103 video entries in the DMV contest called “From the Driver’s Seat to the Director’s Chair.”

It required students to create a public service announcement focused on teens talking to teens about safe driving. It is the department's fourth year for offering the contest.

Travelers is the contest's corporate sponsor. The company has donated $15,000 in prizes to winning students' schools: $5,000 for first place; $4,000 for second place; $3,000 for third place; $2,000 for fourth place; and $1,000 for fifth place.

In addition, Travelers and the Connecticut DMV are sponsoring a challenge to Top 10 winners, to see which student team can engage their community the best to make their video the most viewed among the Top 10 on the DMV YouTube site.

Contest Rankings

Schools ranking in the Top 10 videos, as well as the work of Top 10 finalists, are can be viewed at the organization's website. They are also listed below:

  • Arts at the Capitol Theater, Willimantic
  • Coginchaug High School, Durham
  • Daniel Hand High School, Madison
  • Darien High School
  • East Haven High School
  • Hall High School, West Hartford (3 ranking videos)
  • Manchester High School
  • Norwich Free Academy

'Most Viewed' Prize

The school team whose video gets the most views will receive a $1,000 cash prize from Travelers. These and other videos have a strong influence in helping teens understand safety behind the wheel, DMV Commissioner Melody A. Currey said.

"We also believe that this contest and students' involvement is one way with high visibility for communities to help spread the message about safety behind the wheel for teens, and everyone else," Currey said.


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