MIDLAND, Pa. – A team of singer-songwriters from Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School has a good shot at thousands of dollars in prizes in a “Belt it Out” nationwide teen highway safety video contest sponsored by the Ford Motor Co.
The object of the video is to teach the dangers of texting, talking on cell phones and other distractive behaviors while driving.
Made by the team of Amber Ardolino of Beaver Falls, Chalisse Monroe of Pittsburgh, Trey Singletary of Aliquippa and Levi Keller of Mars – all sophomores at Lincoln Park – the video has made the top 10 finalists and currently sits in second place in online voting which ends May 1.
The top five videos in online voting as of that date will be judged by celebrity Kate Voegele, a singer-actress known for her appearance on CW Television Network’s “One Tree Hill” show.
Chalisse Monroe wrote the song which she and Amber Ardolino perform, with rapping lyrics preformed by Trey Singletary, and Levi Keller on guitar. They recorded it in the Lincoln Park recording studios in February and submitted it prior to the March 1 deadline.
The first place video will win a $5,000 savings bond each for up to five team members, along with autographed materials from Voegele. Second place wins a $3,000 savings bond per team member; third place wins $1,000 in savings bonds per person.
The ‘Belt it Out’ competition is part of the carmaker’s nationwide Ford Driving Skills for Life program.
“I am doing this to encourage people my age to stay focused on their future and to understand the importance of their own driving behaviors. They need to learn to avoid driving distractions such as hand-held texting,” Voegele said.
“Teens listen to their friends and music more than anything else, which is why we are combining the two so our youngsters can help stop their friends from hand-held texting while driving,” said Jim Graham, community relations manager of Ford Motor Company Fund.
According to Ford, car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in America, claiming nearly 5,000 lives each year.
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