LUFKIN - Some local high school students went the extra mile to support safe driving and earned their schools some Project Celebration money while doing it.

Texas Department of Transportation this month paired with Pay Attention East Texas (PAET), a regional traffic safety coalition group, along with other public and private sponsors to promote a public service announcement contest for area high school seniors to win funds for their Project Celebration event following graduation ceremonies. The event is a night-long drug and alcohol free celebration with many local sponsors.

The students submitted Public Service Announcements on subjects of their choosing that pertained to safe driving. TxDOT and local law enforcement officials chose the top three local PSA winners in the Lufkin District based on individual messages, quality and uniqueness.
The videos were created by the students not only to earn extra money for their graduation celebrations but also to help educate their peers on a variety of traffic safety issues including seatbelt safety, distracted driving or speeding.

Winners of the competition in the TxDOT Lufkin District were: First Place - Martinsville High School in Nacogdoches County that was awarded $1000; Second Place - Douglass High School in Nacogdoches County that was awarded $800; Third Place - Hudson High School that was awarded $600.

The annual contest is open to any area high school that wants to participate.

For more information, contact Rhonda.Oaks@txdot.gov<mailto:Rhonda.Oaks@txdot.gov> or (936) 633-4395.