Hart district students awarded $1,000 for PSA videos on the dangers of fentanyl
Three student groups from the William S. Hart Union High School District’s video production classes were presented Thursday with $1,000 each for their award-winning PSA videos on the dangers of fentanyl.
According to Debbie Dunn, communications specialist for the Hart district, the district in partnership with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Foundation tasks students to create a PSA on a specific topic. This time around, the city of Santa Clarita and Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office also partnered with them to increase the award from the previous competition.
“We think that students, teenagers are going to listen more to their peers more than to adults,” Dunn said. “Not that what adults say isn’t important, but we’re hoping that the peer-to-peer contact is going to be more impactful.”
Out of the 30 submissions, the top three were chosen and the videos were posted on the Hart district’s homepage as well as under the district’s “Fentanyl Awareness” page, and also the SCV Sheriff’s Station’s social media pages.
Canyon High School students Jessica Makishima, Maian Maouas and Megan Makishima produced “One Pill Kills,” under the direction of their teacher Kyle Jellings. The group’s almost one-minute video depicts a lone person holding a birthday cake while the camera flickers and pans through various pictures of the life of a teenage girl.
The next moment, the viewer sees a teenage girl on the floor with an empty bottle. The scene goes back to the cake and the person blows out two candles.
The message: “Don’t miss a birthday…” and approximately more than 150 people die from fentanyl poisoning every day, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Golden Valley High School students Max Parker, Brady Traverso and Makenna Ends, under the direction of their teacher Dena De Ver, produced “Party Foul: One Pill Will Kill.” Their 30-second video showed a teenage boy dancing and drinking at a party.
Then he consumed pills and in the next scene drops his cup. The group’s final message: “One pill will kill. One pill can kill.” The words “will” and “can” replace each other.
Saugus High School students Jacob Mendez, Landon Blankenship, Nina Ripoll and Mykhail Tezai produced “How to use Narcan,” under the direction of their teacher Wade Williams. The group showed data, described what Narcan is, and how to use it in case of emergencies.
The group’s message, “Always know where Narcan can be found in case of emergency,” that they wanted others to know.
Deputy Natalie Arriaga, spokeswoman for the SCV Sheriff’s Station, said she attended the ceremony on Thursday and described the students as “very excited” to participate in the PSA competition.
She also described the three winning PSAs as “creative and thoughtful.” According to Arriaga, the students were able to get their message across successfully.
“The risk of fentanyl and its dangerous effects seem to be increasing,” she said. “It’s important that we make everybody more aware. What better way for teenagers to hear the message than by becoming more aware from their fellow peers.”
According to Dunn, the district along with the SCV Sheriff’s Foundation and other partners will host another PSA competition in the spring.
