Students earn national honors with message about texting and driving

When Eisenhower High School students Isabel Wallace and Emma Heidrich created a video for their school project, the goal was share an important message for students on the verge of driving.

They accomplished that and more.

The pair were recently honored nationally with the first place Courageous Persuaders Award and a $2,000 scholarship for their PSA about texting and driving - "Two Things at Once."

"The video was for middle school students, so we wanted to get across an important message, but in a fun way," said Heidrich.

Courageous Persuaders is a competition where high school students create 30-second television commercials warning middle school students about the dangers of underage drinking, drinking and driving, and texting while driving.

The contest, sponsored by the Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA), drew 652 entries from 242 high schools, and has involved over 1,000 students from 43 states across the U.S. and from Canada.

Winners were announced at a May 11 screening at the Emagine Theater.

Both Wallace and Emma Heidrich said they were surprised they received the national award for their 30-second clip.

The film was shown again on the big screen May 19 at Emagine Macomb at "A Filmmakers Evening," which featured UCS student work honored in 2016 DAFT (Digital Art Film and Television) Competition.

"It's a big honor," Wallace said. "This is the third time it has been on a big screen. It has given us a lot of confidence."