March 24, 2014
Contact: Robyn Truslow
410-535-0291
Teens Speak Out Against Tobacco Use
According to the Maryland Youth Tobacco Survey, about one out of four high school youth in Calvert use tobacco products. Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable deaths in the United States so with funding from the Maryland Cigarette Restitution Fund, Calvert Library and Calvert County Health Department hosted a contest for teens to produce public service announcements to dissuade youth from using tobacco. Twenty-two youth participated in the contest! There were 67 people at the Red Carpet event with Roz Plater from ABC News as the celebrity emcee. The event included a photo booth, swag bags, and refreshments sponsored by the Maryland Cigarette Restitution Fund. The venue was decorated by the Calvert Library Teen Advisory Council of Students (TACOS) and they were there to meet and greet in their formal gowns and tuxedos.
Roz Plater, Jonathan Gauthier and Tammy Halterman were the judges for the contest and emcee Plater expressed enthusiasm for all the entries. She said that all three judges were very impressed by the creativity and technological know-how these teens exhibited. A big thank you went out to Charles Gauthier for his support of the contest including donating cameras for teens to use and teaching video editing classes at the library.
The People's Choice award went to Girl Scout Troop 6061. They had over 350 views by the deadline for scoring which means they did an excellent job promoting their video and the anti-tobacco message. The team included Alexis Rinker, Eva Hartsig, Victoria Rodriguez, Erin Clow, Sabrina Pearson, Marisa Brock, Julia Roush and Bethany Higgs. Each took home a Bluetooth speaker as part of their prize.
The Judge's Choice winner was Sydney Bailey’s ad that was a compilation of teens saying why youth shouldn’t use tobacco. Bailey received an Amazon gift card in addition to her trophy. Bailey is a student at Patuxent High School and said that she does a lot of video editing just for fun and she hopes to pursue a career in acting.
Keep an eye out for the winning commercial on Comcast channels such as MTV, VH-1, Comedy Central, SyFy, Nickelodeon, ABC Family, TLC, Cartoon Network, Animal Planet and others. Later this spring, all nine winners will take a limo out to dinner together to celebrate their work. If you see them, be sure to congratulate them!
The contest was coordinated by Calvert Library, supported by the Calvert County Health Department and funded by the Maryland Cigarette Restitution Fund.
For more information please contact Robyn Truslow at Calvert Library Prince Frederick, 410-535-0291.
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Photo attached of People’s Choice award winners.
Names are as follows (starting with the tiny girl on the left):
Marisa Brock, Roz Plater (the adult in the picture), Alexis Rinker, Eva Hartsig, Erin Clow, Victoria Rodriguez, Bethany Higgs, Julia Roush, Sabrina Pearson.
Robyn Truslow
Public Relations Coordinator
Calvert Library
850 Costley Way
Prince Frederick, MD 20678
410-535-0291
410-535-3022 (fax)
Calvert Library…Your Source for Awesome!
