HEADS UP! Public Service Announcement Contest Results

Today, Arlington Public Schools announced the results of the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) HEADS UP! Public Service Announcement (PSA) contest. The 20 video and print HEADS UP! PSA entries submitted by students in grades K-12 are available online for schools to use in promoting safe travel to and from school.

Background
Whether traveling to school on foot or by bike; by school bus or public transit; by car or carpool, staying safe means staying alert. Staying alert means keeping “HEADS UP!” by paying attention and looking out for yourself and others.

Recognizing that students are the experts on school travel, the APS SRTS HEADS UP! PSA contest challenged APS elementary, middle and high school students to create PSAs to remind fellow students to stay alert—and safe—while traveling to and from school. Using the theme “HEADS UP!” as their message, students submitted entries in print and video formats. To read more about the topic and prompt, click here.

Entries were judged in the following grade-level categories: Kindergarten-2nd grade; grades 3-5; grades 6-8; and grades 9-12. Judges included representatives from Arlington Public Schools Departments of Teaching and Learning (Health and PE) and Facilities and Operations (Transportation); Arlington County Commuter Services’ WalkArlington and BikeArlington programs; and community-based organization Phoenix Bikes.

Print PSA Results

Grades K – 2
NO PRINT PSA ENTRIES IN THIS GRADE-LEVEL CATEGORY

Grades 3 – 5
First Place – Luc Penella, 3rd Grade, Nottingham Elementary School
Second Place – Kari Brown, 5th Grade, Abingdon Elementary School
Third Place – Yanis Mehenni, 3rd Grade, Arlington Science Focus School
Honorable Mention – Myriam La, 3rd Grade, Tuckahoe Elementary School

Grades 6 – 8
First Place – Jennifer Saravia, 7th Grade, Kenmore Middle School
Second Place – Ariel Dooley, 7th Grade, Kenmore Middle School
Third Place – Alexa Brooke and Josephine Scogna, 7th Grade, Kenmore Middle School

Grades 9 – 12
First Place – Orion La, 10th Grade, Yorktown High School
Second Place – Lauren Tucker, 9th Grade, Yorktown High School

Video PSA Results Grades

K – 2
First Place – Emily Rice, Kindergarten, and Caroline Rice, 2nd Grade, Nottingham Elementary School
Second Place – Bruce Arnez, Belguutei Shirnen, Nathaniel Duncan and Jarelyn Sales Valdez, Kindergarten, Barrett Elementary School
Third Place – Nevaeh Kirkwood, Kindergarten, Key Elementary School
Honorable Mention – Jose Kirkwood, Kindergarten, Key Elementary School 

Grades 3 – 5
NO VIDEO PSA ENTRIES IN THIS GRADE-LEVEL CATEGORY

Grades 6 – 8
First Place – Anuj Khemka, 8th Grade, Thomas Jefferson Middle School
Second Place – Sam Spence and Ella Snyders, 7th Grade, Kenmore Middle School
Third Place – Lauren Scott and Violet Deane, 7th Grade, Kenmore Middle School
Honorable Mention – Zakaria Naamane and Zach Kneip, 6th Grade, Gunston Middle School Tenley Kennett, Heidy Sandoval and Caroline Grotos, 7th Grade, Kenmore Middle School

Grades 9 – 12
First Place – Marwan Mohammed, Taylor Memon, John Hall, Robbie Starkey and Ahmed Al Debagh, 11th Grade, Wakefield High School
Second Place – John-William Cordero, 10th Grade, Washington-Lee High School

These PSAs were created by students for students. Schools are encouraged to visit the SRTS HEADS UP! webpage, review the PSA entries, and use/adapt the one(s) that work best on each campus to remind students to stay alert, be safe, and keep heads up while traveling to and from school–and wherever they go.

Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is a national program that works to improve safety and accessibility around schools. Funded by a grant from the Virginia Department of Transportation, APS’ SRTS program works with our schools, families, and the community to support safe travel to and from APS elementary, middle and high schools.