Five freshmen in Mr. Boehm's Visual Presentation Technology class at Middleton High School placed in the top three of WMSN Fox 47’s Message 2 Teens commercial contest.
“Students collaborate to create a 25-second public service announcement, or PSA, highlighting the dangers of reckless driving,” Boehm said. “This hands-on project involves filming outside the classroom and bringing the footage back to the editing lab, where students refine and complete their final product."
Chloe Nguyen and Madyson Pasard earned second place, and third place went to Clay Carreyn, RJ Callow and John Potamousis. Their work earned Middleton High School two grants totaling $3,000. In addition, students received cash prizes and gift cards.
On April 7, WMSN Fox 47 and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation hosted a recognition ceremony for the teams at Middleton High School. Students received their checks from State Trooper Zak McArdle and Fox 47 News Anchor Brady Mallory.
Mr. Boehm said students in his Visual Presentation Technology class have a long history of success with the Message 2 Teens contest.
“For the past 10 years, this contest has been a highlight of the class, providing students with valuable opportunities and earning the school cash prizes,” Boehm said. "Students enrolled in the Visual Presentation Technology course have the opportunity to earn industry certification in Adobe Premiere Pro, a leading video editing software. Adobe Premiere Pro has been the industry standard for years, widely used by independent filmmakers and major Hollywood productions alike.”
Chloe said her team’s video was inspired by Aesop's fable, The Tortoise and the Hare.
“At the end of the story, the tortoise wins the race because he takes things slow, so we applied that same formula to our video,” Chloe said. “The tortoise ‘wins’ by driving safely and under speed limit, and the hare ‘loses’ by getting into an accident.”
“Winning was great!” Chloe added. “It felt like all the hard work on the video finally paid off.”
“We are grateful for the generous contributions of Fox 47 and its sponsors, whose support has made this experience possible year after year,” Boehm said.
Check out both team’s winning videos on Fox 47’s website.