Five Finalists Named in the 6^th Annual PSA Project

Five student-produced videos from four local school districts have been selected as finalists in the 2014 PSA Project, hosted Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, Inc.

As part of the 6^th annual PSA Project, middle and high school students were invited to create original 30 to 60 second Public Service Announcements under the theme “CommUnity Involves You,” an effort to encourage students to be engaged and active members of their school and larger community.

Approximately 130 students participated and 33 student videos were submitted.  All entries were reviewed and the finalists were chosen by a panel of judges that included educators, law enforcement, and staff from the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.

“I am so proud of the work of Middlesex County students in creating these videos,” District Attorney Ryan said.  “All of the entries were creative in their interpretation of this year’s theme.  We wanted students to think about their role in their community, both inside and outside of school. Each of the finalists was successful in using that message.  The PSA Project, and its companion, the Poster Project, have been successful ever year because students are great communicators.  When students create the message they can motivate their peers and effect change.”

Over the coming weeks, the five finalists’ videos will be presented at local middle and high schools where students will vote to select the winner.

The finalists are:

o   Somerville High School, Somerville: Community Hallway

o   Nashoba Valley Technical High School, Westford: CommUnity

o   Nashoba Valley Technical High School, Westford: Take Time to Get Involved

o   Ottoson Middle School, Arlington: Get Involved

o   Melrose High School, Melrose: Helping is Contagious

Please click here to view videos from the five PSA Project finalists.

Last month, the District Attorney Ryan and Middlesex Partnerships for Youth honored four students in the 2^nd annual Poster Project, a companion program to the PSA, where students designed original posters following the same theme.

More than 100 posters from 131 students across Middlesex County were submitted.  The winner and three honorable mentions were selected by a panel of judges that included Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Middlesex Partnerships for Youth staff, art teachers, police officers, and school administrators. Click here for more information.

Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, Inc. (MPY) is a non-profit organization which provides prevention and intervention resources and training to Middlesex school districts and communities.  District Attorney Ryan is the Chair of the MPY Board of Directors.

Through the efforts of District Attorney Ryan and MPY, educators, parents, and students can regularly engage in collaborative trainings with law enforcement, social services, and community-based organizations as well as share the latest information and resources.  Such interactions provide the foundation for creating solution-oriented, community-based, multi-disciplinary approaches to addressing youth violence, substance abuse, child abuse and neglect, hate crimes, and harassment across Middlesex County.  For more information on prevention and intervention programs visit www.middlesexda.com and www.middlesexpartnershipsforyouth.org.

Middlesex County is the largest county in Massachusetts and one of the largest counties in the country with 54 cities and towns and 26 colleges in urban, suburban, and rural areas, comprising over one quarter of the population of Massachusetts.  The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office has offices throughout the county, including in Ayer, Cambridge, Concord, Framingham, Lowell, Malden, Marlborough, Newton, Somerville, Waltham and Woburn.