The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station hosted an awards ceremony for local high school video production students Thursday to honor their work in creating community public service announcements.
Thursday, students, staff, and deputies from the SCV Station gathered for an awards ceremony honoring the two William S. Hart Union High School District students for their efforts in creating PSAs to help offer advice and further protection for residents.
“I’m very thrilled that you as peers are reaching out to your peers to give them a hand up, because your hand up is better than our hand up,” said Mayor Laurene Weste to the gathered high school students. “Since the start of the pandemic, we have seen a tremendous impact on mental health everywhere. I’m sorry to say it will take a while to get back, but this going to help, and I know you’re making a difference.”
Students from Saugus High School created a student wellness and safety video titled “The Weight of the World,” while students from Golden Valley High school created a video focusing on suicide awareness and prevention titled “Boiling Over.”
“They’ve done a fantastic job. I’m so proud of them,” said Golden Valley teacher Dena DeVere of her students. “It was one of those PSA videos that just gives you chills by the end of it and it’s so impactful. I couldn’t be prouder of all the hard work that they put into that PSA.”
With Santa Clarita recently being named the third safest city in America, local officials formulated the contest, with a $500 prize to the winning teams, to promote personal safety through mental and emotional health as well as crime prevention that serves the rest of the community.
“The goal is to reach as many people as possible, students, but also parents and the community at large,” said SCV Sheriff’s Station Captain Justin Diez. “Really, it’s our hope that the continued partnership and the PSA videos are going to have a positive impact on everybody in this community.”
Congratulations to a select group of @HartDistrict video production students recognized for public service announcements created for a PSA contest. The contest was hosted in partnership between the William S. Hart School District, SCV Sheriff’s Station & SCV Sheriff’s Foundation. pic.twitter.com/r1wwDMnT2I
— SCV Sheriff (@SCVSHERIFF) May 20, 2022
The students were encouraged by staff from the school district, as well as the SCV Sheriff’s Station, the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Foundation, the City of Santa Clarita, and Drug-Free Youth (DFY) In SCV.
“We really have a unique partnership… thank you to each of these different groups for continuing to work with us to make things like this possible,” said Hart District Superintendent Mike Kuhlman. “I am daily amazed by the creativity of the students in our schools, and the work that’s made possible by the advisors doing such outstanding amazing things.”
The Saugus team, represented by 12th grader Alex McArdle and 10th grader Joaquin Soto, with assistance from advisor Wade Williams, focused on mental health with their PSA “The Weight of the World.”
“I really wanted to do a kind of infomercial style video, kind of like advertising mental health and activities that would improve your mental health,” McArdle said. “We wanted the idea that it was over the top, overexaggerated to get across the idea.”
With a light approach to a heavy subject, the teens hoped to make getting help more approachable to their peers.
“We just wanted to take on a really serious subject in a really goofy infomercial kind of way so it’s a little easier to digest,” Sato agreed.
The student-made PSAs are set to be available on the City, SCV Sheriff and Hart District websites.
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