Published May 20, 2021
NORTH READING — The Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) has awarded the North Reading High School Social Activism Club its top honor in the high school division of this year’s Public Service Announcement (PSA) Project.
Participating students at the high school and middle school levels from across the state were challenged to create a video PSA featuring the theme “We Stand Together.” This theme was inspired by Black Lives Matter at School, a national committee of educators organizing for anti-racism and racial justice in education. Suggested student topics included diversity, empathy, loving engagement and restorative justice which are part of the Black Lives Matter Guiding Principles.
Approximately 60 students, both individuals and groups, submitted PSAs this year.
“The public service announcements students created were tremendously thoughtful, timely and moving. We are pleased to have been able to provide this opportunity to support their creativity and offer an outlet for their voices,” MPY Executive Director Margie Daniels said.
“Thank you to all of the students and advisors who participated. It is always a pleasure for us at MPY to be able to recognize the hard work of socially conscious young people and the educators working alongside them,” she added.
“On behalf of all the students who were a part of this project, we thank MPY for this opportunity and honor, and we hope to continue spreading awareness about the importance of racial justice for our Black peers,” said Shivi Srikanth, a junior and founder/president of the newly-formed Social Activism Club at North Reading High School.
The NRHS Social Activism Club PSA entry was titled “Black Students’ Lives Matter.” Club members participating in its creation, in addition to Srikanth, were Gianna Naulivou, Jackie Magner, Jared MacDonald, Samantha Magner, Taleen Toby, Katie Musgrave, Angelina Palazzolo, Turfa Sarfaraz, Lily Joyce, Emma Galbraith, Veronica Stantcheva and Caroline Schladenhauffen.
“The students deserve all the credit and we are incredibly proud of their hard work and their thoughtful message delivered in the PSA,” Club Advisor Edward Blum said. “From start to finish, this PSA project was student-led. The students found out about the PSA project, they organized the meetings, they created the script, they recorded the videos and they created the final project. The students truly demonstrated important 21st Century skills focused on being active citizens in a global society showing leadership, initiative, passion, thoughtfulness, empathy and selflessness. We are happy and proud to continue to support these students and make sure they continue to have a platform to bring awareness to key issues and bring positive change to our society.”
To view the NRHS winning PSA visit this link: https://rb.gy/idmsrg
The Middle School division was won by the Winter Hill Community Innovation School in Somerville whose student group, Spilling Wild Tea, Talks on Social Justice, produced a PSA entitled “Next Chapter.”
Honorable mentions in the high school division were awarded to the Southeastern Regional Technical High School Video and Performing Arts Junior Shop for its PSA: “We Stand Together” as well as the Nashoba Valley Technical High School TV & Media Production/Theatre Arts Program’s PSA: “We Believe.”
Two honorable mentions in the middle school division were awarded to the Daley Middle School in Lowell. One award went to a group project entitled: “We Stand Together – Equality” and the other award was presented to eighth-grader Alanna Bastien for her solo project: “PSA Project Poem.”
Entries were judged by teams including school administrators, police chiefs, art teachers, community prevention professionals, school resource officers (SROs) and middle school students.
For more information about the PSA competition, visit MPY’s website here. https://massachusettspartnershipsforyouth.com/about/posterpsa-project.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides training, fosters collaboration, and develops programming to increase the health and safety of students.
