Valley Student Broadcasts Safety Message

A Valley sixth grader is taking the safety of his fellow students into his own hands, broadcasting an important message to the school.

“My mom always told me to look both ways before crossing the road,” says sixth grader Efrain Avelar.

This message stuck with Efrain. He always follows safety tips, but not everyone does.

“Kids are getting killed for no reason,” says Efrain.

He decided to do something about this. As a classroom assignment, Efrain created a public service announcement.

“They could do the P.S.A. on anything they thought were a concern to students at James Workman [Middle School],” says teacher Jessica Pack.

Efrain’s project displays the dangers of crossing the street and the importance of looking both ways.

“I have an imagination,” Efrain explained his thought process into making the video. “I think about something and I put it together and it worked.”

Efrain is in the 24/7 Program, which exposes students to technology 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He used all of the tools and techniques he learned in class to create his project.

“It took a long time,” says Efrain.

Efrain developed the idea, recruited actors, and did all of the filming and editing from his laptop. Now, the P.S.A. is going from a computer screen to a TV screen. It will air on the school’s television program.

“I want students to think twice before crossing the road,” says Efrain.

His desire to help doesn’t end here. The sixth grader is creating a P.S.A. about sustainablity and saving money.

“Our economy is running low. There is no money,” says Efrain.

As Efrain’s messages grow, so does his audience. If picked, his latest project will air on cable for the whole valley to see and learn.

“Just like my parents always tell me, you can’t spend a lot,” says Efrain.