Shady Spring High wins PSA competition
Mar. 4—A commercial developed by students at Shady Spring High School depicting the consequences of drinking and driving will air statewide as part of an initiative by the West Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Administration.
The commercial was developed as part of the state's 11th Annual NO School Spirits PSA contest, where over 450 students, representing 37 high schools and middle schools from across the state, submitted 67 video entries.
The PSA, developed by Shady Spring High students with the aid of English teacher Brad Bostic, won first place in the competition.
Shady Spring's PSA was played during a Raleigh County Board of Education meeting in February and is just under a minute.
"This one was a very difficult video to film. It was very emotional," Bostic said.
In the video, students act out what could happen should someone decide to drink and drive.
In their scenario, a student leaves a party drunk and decides to drive herself and a friend home. On the way home, she loses control of her vehicle and wrecks, and both she and her passenger are thrown from the vehicle and severely injured.
First responders are then called to the scene, and ambulances cart off both injured students.
The video ends with the words, "If you drink ... someone else might pay the tab."
During the board meeting, Bostic said they used members from the Ghent Fire Department to respond to their fake scenario.
He added that the Ghent Fire Department used it as a training exercise.
"Their reactions and the way they moved and all they did is real to them," Bostic said.
A shorter version of Shady Spring's winning video entry will be aired on television and radio stations across the state during the 2024 prom and graduation season.
Shady Spring will also receive $5,000.
The NO School Spirits PSA contest is an educational program designed to prevent underage drinking and to recognize the proactive steps students take to be safe.
The West Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Administration is planning to hold award ceremonies for the winning schools to unveil the PSA and highlight the winning videos.
The events are being planned for April to coincide with the PSA release and National Alcohol Awareness Month.
Funding for the NO School Spirits PSA program is provided by State Farm and the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association.
Shady Spring's winning video can be viewed at youtube.com/watch?v=Qwo94OA3oqQ.
Email: jmoore@register-herald.com
