Gwen Break
Beach Fanatic
Pictured left to right the winning 4th graders Will Campbell, Dalton Whitehurst, Chloe Alford, Lance Ellis, Krislynn McLaney, along with Principal Darlene Paul and teacher Hope Burgess, all from West Defuniak Elementary.
The Scenic Corridor Foundation held a contest between Walton County 4th and 7th grade students charging them with creating a public service announcement for television. The students were asked to submit videos and scripts that focused on making the public aware of the consequences of littering.
By participating in the contest, the students were able to fulfill various Sunshine Standards mandated by the Florida Department of Education.
The winning entry was unanimously chosen by the Executive Board of the Scenic Corridor Foundation.
“We were all very impressed with the entries, and especially enjoyed watching all the videos, but the fourth grade students of West Defuniak Elementary submitted the best message we want to convey to the public,” said Merlin Allan, president of the Scenic Corridor Foundation. “We are grateful to the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center for helping us get the word out about the contest.”
The E.O Wilson Biophilia Center educates 4th and 7th grade students on important environmental topics, including littering and recycling. This year, the education packets sent to Walton County teachers also included information about the PSA contest.
“We felt the contest was a perfect fit for our curriculum,” explained Christy Scally, Executive Director of the E.O. Wilson Biophillia Center. “Specifically, we found the PSA contest complimented our topic of ‘Talking Trash,’ an extensive curriculum that educates students on where materials come from and how recycling saves natural resources.”
The commercial is sponsored by Waste Management and Alys Beach. It will be professionally produced by award-winning cinematographer Elam Stoltzfus January 2012 for immediate state-wide syndication. The winning students will be the actors in the commercial.
"When I found out my students won, I was so excited for them. I could hardly wait to see their faces. They all think they are going to be movie stars,”said Hope Burgess, teacher of the winning students.