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TRENTON
– The prom is one of the most memorable
celebrations in a high school student’s
life. A statewide educational initiative is
aiming to make sure that proms this school
year will be memorable to students for the
right reasons. Attorney
General Paula T. Dow and Alcoholic Beverage
Control Director Jerry Fischer today announced
the beginning of the fifth annual “Proms
and Alcohol Don’t Mix” public
service announcement contest, a program
that highlights the danger of alcohol for
high school students.
“We
want students to enjoy a healthy and safe
prom season, and my hope is that this contest
will help students focus on the dangers
of alcohol,” Attorney General Dow
said.
A
letter was sent out today to all New Jersey
high school principals, asking schools to
have their senior students work together
on teams to develop scripts for a public
service announcement. One overall winning
entry will be selected and a number of additional
entries will be chosen as runner-up winners.
High school students who participate in
developing these winning entries will be
invited to a special party to recognize
their accomplishment. The one overall winning
entry will be produced and distributed for
broadcast on local television stations.
Last
year’s contest winner, created by
students from Pascack Regional High School
in Hillsdale, was selected from 45 submissions
from throughout the state.
“The
prom should be a joyful celebration, not
an invitation for tragedy, which is what
alcohol brings to the party,” Fischer
said.
According
to the Centers for Disease Control, youths
who consume alcohol are more likely to experience
alcohol-related car crashes and other accidents,
such as burns, falls and drowning. The 2009
Youth Risk Behavior Survey also found that
among high school students, 42 percent of
them drank alcohol, 10 percent drove after
drinking and 28 percent rode with a driver
who had been drinking alcohol.
The
following rules apply to the contest:
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Each high school may submit up to three
public service announcement scripts. High
school students may work in teams to develop
the scripts. The Division of Alcoholic
Beverage Control encourages as many senior
students as possible to participate in
the development of the scripts. Only senior
high school students are eligible to participate
in this program.
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The phrase “Proms and Alcohol Don’t
Mix” must be included in the public
service announcement.
-
The senior students will be asked to participate
in the taping of the public service announcements
by appearing in the actual video and/or
assisting in the production and editing.
Only senior high school students from
the winning school may appear in the video.
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The public service announcements must
meet broadcast, on-air criteria and must
be a maximum of thirty seconds in length.
Students should time the scripts by reading
them out loud prior to submissions. It
is critical that students adhere to this
requirement since the winning entry will
be professionally produced.
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All scripts must be typed and submitted
on 8 ½ -inch by 11-inch paper.
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No copyrighted characters, music, or the
use of celebrities can be used or inferred.
Scripts must reflect originality and imagination,
and must be easily filmed and produced.
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Content should not be graphic in nature.
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Senior students must include details of
what each scene should look like when
it is produced on camera.
The
deadline for submission is Friday, December
16. All entries must be sent to the Division
of Alcoholic Beverage Control, 140 East
Front Street, P.O. Box 087, Trenton, New
Jersey 08625, Attn: Kelly Troilo, High School
Prom TV PSA Contest.
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