The Texas Department of Transportation, in conjunction with Project Celebration, hosted a contest for juniors and seniors in high school to create a PSA talking about the dangers of underage drinking and driving.

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It's amazing the creativity that these high school students have and the passion they have for getting the word out about underage drinking and driving.  They know the damage it can to to lives.

What is a PSA?

It stands for Public Service Announcement.  It's a community oriented message that is usually ran on radio and TV Stations.

Every school that submitted a entry at the local level received Project Celebration funding.   The local Amarillo District covers the top 17 counties of the Panhandle.  The first place winner was Tascosa High School, which won a $2,000 Project Celebration grant.  Their PSA was entered into the state competition and will be featured on TxDOT's social media.

What is Project Celebration?

Project Celebration is a combination of education and lock-in events conducted by educators, parents, and community partners to help keep students safe and alcohol-free, especially during school-related celebrations such as prom and graduation. The goal is to reduce the number of injuries and deaths caused by impaired driving.

“By adding the PSA competition to the grant application criteria, we engaged students and gave them the opportunity to actually learn the dangers brought on by underaged drinking and driving,” says LaViza Matthews, traffic safety specialist with TxDOT’s Amarillo District. “Once the students know the facts, it makes it much harder for them to ignore the dangers, so hopefully this will help move the needle in the right direction.”

Palo Duro High School came in 2nd and won $1500, Groom High School took third and received $1,250.  The other schools that participated received $750, and included Canyon, Claude, Gruver, and White Deer.

Congratulations to all the winners.  Here's to safe celebrations as these students experience their proms and graduations.

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