State invites students to tout weather safety

Posted by ChaddsFordLive on November 26, 2016

Area students interested in weathering some simple rules can win recognition.

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency is now accepting submissions from students in grades 1 through 12 for a poster and video public service announcement contest featuring weather safety messages, a PEMA press release said.

“We’re really excited about this contest, to see how students from across the state can help us spread these important safety messages,” PEMA Director Richard D. Flinn Jr. said in the release. “This is a great opportunity for kids to showcase their creativity while learning about severe weather safety.”

The theme for the video PSA contest is “Turn Around, Don’t Drown” and is open to all Pennsylvania high school and middle school students in grades 7 through 12, including those attending private, parochial, cyber or home schools. The deadline to submit a video PSA is Jan. 31.

The winner of the PSA contest will work with the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters to develop a broadcast quality television commercial based off their winning entry to be aired statewide during the final two weeks of March 2017.

The theme for the poster contest is “When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors” and is open to all Pennsylvania students in grades 1 through 6, including those attending private, parochial, cyber or home schools. The deadline to submit a poster is March 7. The winning poster will be featured in state parks across the Commonwealth, the release said.

The winners of both contests will be recognized at a ceremony to celebrate their achievement. Detailed information regarding guidelines, eligibility and deadlines is available online at www.ReadyPA.org/contest. Students, teachers and parents or guardians can download all official entry forms at that website.

The contest is being held with support from the departments of Education, and Conservation and Natural Resources, along with the Keystone Emergency Management Association, the National Weather Service, the American Red Cross and the United Way of Pennsylvania.