West Roxbury School Wins Contest: League Of Women Voters

WEST ROXBURY, MA — A West Roxbury School will have a Get Out The Vote video that 10 students put together featured this election season, The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts announced today. Not only that, but the school will get some prize money and the students will be invited to an award ceremony at the State House next month.

The League just announced the winners of its "Get In the Game and Vote!" High School Video Contest, part of the group's election 2018 statewide voter engagement initiative.

West Roxbury Academy will receive the Catalyst Award, special recognition for a single school's inspiring submissions to the contest.

"The terrific videos we received demonstrate, yet again, that young people are not spectators to our democracy, but are leading the way for all of us" said League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Executive Director Meryl Kessler in a statement.

West Roxbury Academy will receive a prize of $250 for the Catalyst Award. An award ceremony at the Massachusetts State House will be scheduled for June.

The following students from West Roxbury Academy will be recognized with this award: Odalys Abreu, Kamari Boseman, Kyle Bourget, Isaiah Brown, Miguel Cabrera, Idalys Calderon, Winda Durand, Phaica Etiverne, Quavante Granberry, Gamailel Pena, and Katherine Peguero.

To help get out the vote for the 2018 Massachusetts elections, the League invited Massachusetts high school students to create 30-second public service announcements encouraging eligible voters to register and turn out at the polls. The league plans to distribute and publicize the winning videos and others from the contest as part of MOVE 2018, a statewide voter education and engagement initiative, beginning in late summer and leading up to the November election.

More than 250 students statewide participated in the contest.

The judges selected the winning submissions based on "their clear and compelling messages, memorable content and delivery, and creativity," according to a release.

The contest was sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund, which supports programs designed to encourage the active and informed participation of citizens in democracy and increase understanding of public policy issues.

"We are proud not only of the winners but of all the young people who stepped up to share their important messages through this contest," said Mary Ann Ashton, president of LWVMA in a statement.

Judges were made up of members, as well as outside judges Hilary Allard from The Castle Group, Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, of Tufts University, and Nicole Porter of DigitalMass.

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