2017 PSA Contest Winners: Alexa Sousa and Desi Feldman with Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and NBC Boston/NECN Anchor Latoyia Edwards.

Somerville High School has been named the winner of the 9^th Annual PSA Project hosted by Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, Inc., for an original video highlighting this year’s theme “Challenge Yourself-Be Resilient.” This year’s winning entry, “Keep Going” was created by Somerville High School students, sophomore Alexa Sousa, junior Desi Feldman and senior Michelle Magalhaes-Teixeira.

The winning video premiered today on “New England Cable News This Morning.” The video features students racing down a hallway of a school encountering obstacles along the way.  The student creators came up with the idea as a metaphor for the challenges many youth today face including stress at school and home. At the end we see one student cross the finish line despite the setbacks along the way.

Click here to watch the winning video: https://youtu.be/v2Rn7cNm0cU

“Students across Middlesex County are facing adversity and hardships every day,” said District Attorney Ryan.  “We know that these challenges do not go away as we become adults.  For this reason it is important that we teach students how to cope with these challenges in a healthy way. This PSA reflects that message well and is just one way we can communicate the importance of resiliency, in a PSA created by students to connect with their peers.”

The overarching goal of the 2017 PSA Project is for students to communicate a direct, positive voice to other teens. More than 45 videos were submitted to the annual project from middle and high schools across the county.

“This year’s winning video was funny, creative and did a great job conveying the theme in a way in which students can relate,” said Margie Daniels, MPY Executive Director.  “All of our finalists this year did wonderful work and we will continue to share these videos with students across Middlesex County.”

Other finalists in the 2017 PSA Project were:

Melrose High School – “Do It”

Melrose High School – “Challenge Yourself, Be Resilient”

Everett High School – “Make Your Dreams Reality”

Winchester High School – “The Will to Overcome”

Click here to watch all the finalists’ entries: https://youtu.be/sNp8JN66jnQ

Entries were viewed and finalists were selected by a panel of school personnel, law enforcement officials and staff from the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Middlesex Partnerships for Youth.  The five PSA finalists were shown to more than 800 middle and high school students throughout Middlesex County in classrooms and assemblies where students cast their votes to select a winner.

The District Attorney’s PSA Project was created with Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, Inc., to spark a dialogue among teens and to include teens in the conversation on issues such as healthy relationships, substance abuse, and impaired driving.