Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services and the Montgomery County Police Department announced the high school and middle school winners of the 2020-21 “Keeping it Safe Coalition” (KIS) student video contest. The annual contest encourages teams from Montgomery County public and private schools to create 30-second public service announcements to educate young people about the risks of under 21 alcohol use.
The winning entries receive cash prizes for their affiliated school. In this year’s contest, 57 videos were submitted from 22 schools. Churchill High School students won second and third place.
The first-place winner in the high school contest was Springbrook of Silver Spring, represented by students James Diaz and Gabriel Diaz. The first-place winner in the middle school contest was Julius West of Rockville, represented by students Jason Yu and Chris Min.
Winning school groups were announced through a virtual awards ceremony. The winning videos can be viewed from the ABS website: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/ABS/education/kis/coalition/videos/
The 2020-21 high school award winners:
• First Place: Springbrook High School. Students James Diaz and Gabriel Diaz. Their school will receive a $1,000 prize.
• Second Place: Winston Churchill High School. Students Ida Chen, Allison Fan, and Kaitlyn Li. School sponsor Debra Feldman. Their school will receive a $500 prize.
• Third Place: Winston Churchill High School. Student Mariana Uribe. Their school will receive a $250 prize.
The 2020-21 middle school award winners:
• First Place: Julius West Middle School. Students Jason Yu and Chris Min. Their school will receive a $500 prize.
• Second Place: Eastern Middle School. Students Asher Anantham and Eric Stewart. School sponsor Warren Scheib III. Their school will receive a $300 prize.
• Third Place: Neelsville Middle School. Student Simona Thomas. Their school will receive a $200 prize.
The KIS Coalition also presented Community Service Awards to Montgomery County Assistant Police Chief Thomas Didone and ABS Director Kathie Durbin for their long-standing commitment to under 21 alcohol prevention.
Founded in 1992, the Keeping It Safe Coalition is an alliance of County departments, local organizations and concerned residents that work to deter underage alcohol access and use. The student video contest was funded by the County Department of Police’s Traffic Division and the County Police Foundation.