Schools

East Brunswick Students Among Winner Of County's Safe Driving PSA Contest

The "Don't Drive Dangerously" Public Service Announcement contest was open to teens in all public and non-public County high schools.

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — Four East Brunswick students were among the winners of Middlesex County’s 2023 “Don’t Drive Dangerously” Public Service Announcement (PSA) contest.

The contest was open to teens in all public and non-public Middlesex County high schools.

South Plainfield High School took home first place in both the audio and video categories.

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Three students from East Brunswick Magnet School — Lamont Harris, Marlee Marte and Soleil Arroyo — won second place.

In the video category, Eginia Gonzalez of East Brunswick High School won second place.

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“On behalf of the entire Board of County Commissioners, I’d like to extend my gratitude and congratulations to all of the winners, as well as each participant,” Director of the Board of County Commissioners Ronald G. Rios said in a statement.

“Through this program, we are able to creatively and powerfully spread the message of safe driving, and social responsibility, to younger motorists in our community.”

Every year, high schools in the County are encouraged to submit a 60-second student-produced video PSA, or a 30-second audio PSA, highlighting the dangers of driving while impaired or distracted, and its consequences. The program provides teens with the ability to empower their peers to develop healthy driving habits.

“It is endlessly inspiring to see young drivers using creative tools and messaging to inspire their peers to become safer drivers,” Deputy Director of the Board of County Commissioners Shanti Narra said in a statement.

“I want to congratulate the winners of the 2023 PSA Award, for their hard work and creativity in developing a salient message to their peers on safe driving.”

The event is co-sponsored by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners; the Middlesex County Superintendent of Schools; NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety; Wellspring Center for Prevention; Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital; and MADD-NJ.

Here’s the lost of winners:

Video

1st Place – South Plainfield High School

  • Trevor Jacob Shapiro
  • Isabelle Marin
  • Medina Haji
  • Emma Ballinger
  • Shannon Rose O’Flaherty

2nd Place – East Brunswick High School

  • Eginia Gonzalez

3rd Place – Monroe Township High School

  • Rudra Alladi
  • Olivia Lisi
  • Shuvee Khanal
  • Celeste Cruz

Audio

1st Place – South Plainfield High School

  • Gabriel Lotano
  • Trevor Jacob Shapiro
  • Matthew Williams
  • Matthew Clarke
  • Emma Ballinger

2nd Place – East Brunswick Magnet School

  • Lamont Harris
  • Marlee Marte
  • Soleil Arroyo

3rd Place – Woodbridge Academy Magnet School

  • Sanchi Isloor
  • Aarnika Gharse
  • Jotleen Nijjar
  • Nivedita Ilangovan
  • Sara Manjaly

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