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Walk this way
Two students win PSA contest with pedestrian safety video
The idea for a public service announcement (PSA) video on pedestrian safety
by Bradley Middle School eighth-graders Jamison Ishihara and Elijah Kidd’s won
the Moment of Silence Middle School contest sponsored by Safe Kids Charlotte
Mecklenburg.
The contest is designed to raise awareness of walking safety among youth.
Participants had to answer the question, “How would you tell your friends to put
down their phones when crossing the street?” by producing a 60-second storyboard
or video.
“When I got the information, I knew it would be a fun project for my fit lab
class,” said teacher Debbie Gresham. “Health and safety go hand in hand.”
Gresham paired students to work on the project and gave them the option to
enter their PSAs into the contest.
“I love editing videos and creating music. I have programs at home I use all the
time so I was excited to make a video,” said Jamison.
He and Elijah made a good team. Jamison likes to stay behind the camera while
Elijah prefers to be in front of it.
“We both came up with ideas, even though you see me in the video,” said Elijah.
“I want to make a difference. I hope the video helps others make better decisions
when they’re crossing the street.”
Janice Williams, a Safe Kids Charlotte Mecklenburg coordinator and director of
the Injury Center at Carolinas Medical Center, said data shows middle school age
students may not be making the safest decisions. According to Williams, the number
of children in Mecklenburg County hit by a motor vehicle crossing a road increases
by 47 percent between elementary and middle school ages and goes up another 51
Jamison Ishihara(L) and Elijah Kidd(R)
percent for high school age children.
“Pedestrian safety is a learned skill,” said Williams. “We target middle school
students because they’re becoming more independent and may be walking to and
from locations more often without an adult and need to learn how to make those decisions on their own.”
Jamison and Elijah each received a $100 gift card and certificate. Their entry will be submitted to the nationwide contest. Local safety departments will
use the video in their safety programming to help prevent local tragedies. The national winners’ video will be professionally produced.
Parent Teacher Magazine • March/April 2015 • 3