More than 30 student walk bike safety videos were submitted by high school students from across Hillsborough County. The video contest, the brainchild of a group of concerned officials who gathered at the MPO offices after another student had lost her life on the way to school in the fall of 2015, led by MPO Executive Director Beth Alden. Ideas were discussed on ways to focus a safety message to high school students. And what better way to engage teenagers than to have them use their electronic devices to creatively shoot a video on traffic safety aimed at educating their own peers?
Arrangements were made with the Hillsborough Community College Radio-TV Program Director, Nerissa Lamison, to allow her students to judge the video submissions. While viewing the videos, Ms. Lamison chided her class on what a great job the high schoolers had done with production quality and sound. While watching, her students could be heard reacting differently to each of the 32 videos – complimenting, laughing, even screaming depending on the approach taken by the student videographer.
First and second place winners were announced February 16, 2016, at the School Board Meeting and the winning students will also present their videos at the March 1st MPO Board Meeting at 601 E Kennedy Boulevard at 9:00 a.m. The first place prize from the Columbia Restaurant’s Gonzmart Family were 4 center-ice Lightning tickets going to Ethan Huggins and Zuriel Cousin from Blake High School. Second place were 3 Lightning suite tickets from the Lightning Organization to Wesley Thomas, Robert Ewing and Craig Jones who attend Spoto High School. We hope to see wide distribution of the winning videos throughout the county, state, and beyond. Thanks to all of our participants and prize sponsors!
Please enjoy the top 3 videos: