FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 20, 2017

Contact: Matt Birchenough, Media Coordinator, 201-916-1032, media@drugfreenj.org

Hamilton Township Students Write Winning Script in Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey’s Middle School PSA Challenge

The winners of the 2017 Middle School PSA Challenge are, from left, Alyssa Johnson, Matthew Valyo, Ashley Schoener, Regina Jannetto, Hannah Linkowsky and Meghan Krencicki from Grice Middle School in Hamilton Township.

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP — A team of six middle school students from Grice Middle School produced the winning script in the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey’s (PDFNJ) annual statewide Middle School Public Service Announcement (PSA) Challenge.

The students — Regina Jannetto, Alyssa Johnson, Matthew Valyo, Meghan Krencicki, Hannah Linkowsky and Ashley Schoener — starred in the filming of the PSA, titled “Are You Up to the Challenge?” on Monday, June 19. The message will be distributed to stations across the tri-state area.

The Middle School PSA Challenge encourages students in Grades 5-8 across New Jersey to write a script for a 30-second public service announcement with a peer-to-peer substance abuse prevention message. This year, 398 students created 123 entries that were evaluated by a panel of judges on creativity, message content and ability to be produced.

“We are always so pleased to see the powerful messages the students create to inspire their peers to lead a healthy lifestyle,” said Angelo M. Valente, Executive Director of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey. “It was a difficult decision, but we were very excited to see the finished product from this very talented group of students from Hamilton Township. The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey has consistently believed that peer-to-peer messages, such as the ones displayed in this year’s submissions, are effective means of countering peer pressure when it comes to drug abuse.”

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Best known for its statewide anti-drug advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication. To date, more than $70 million in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the Partnership’s New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jersey’s history. Since its inception the Partnership has garnered 166 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional and statewide media organizations.