Students create winning commercials with an anti-drinking message

BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. - - The Baldwin County Community Alliance (BCCA) recently sponsored a 30-second commercial contest which was open to middle and high school students. Students were asked to use their creative skills to outline a television commercial showing the negative impact of underage drinking with a focus on access and availability of alcohol. Participating students wrote a detailed summary of their commercial and also submitted a story board. Each school that submitted entries had a winner. The three overall county winners were chosen from the individual school winners and had their commercials produced by FOX 10.

The individual school winners of the 30-second commercial contest are as follows: Spanish Fort Middle School- Isabella Alday, Fairhope Middle School- John Aiken, Joshua Penninger, Jason Penninger, and Justin Penninger, Foley Middle School- Autumn Middleton, Foley High School- Ashton Sullivan-Buck, Baldwin County High School- Summer King ,Spanish Fort High School- Morgan Calloway, Alexandria Weekly, Ellen Ponder, and Mitchell Baker, Fairhope High School- Arnesia Weeks. Each individual school winner received a prize pack from FOX10 TV, WFNA, WABB, and Lite Mix 99.9.

The three overall commercial winners were as follows: Robertsdale High School- Brooke Ellison, Kayla Harris, Taylor Thompson, Colton Sinclair, Clinton Hollings, Bay Minette Middle School- Jada Jewel Higgins and Mallory Wallace, and Fairhope High School-Maring Eberlein. These students also received a prize pack. The overall winners had their commercials produced by FOX10 TV and were given the opportunity to appear as actors in the spots. The commercials will begin airing on FOX 10 and WFNA channel 55. Radio versions of the commercials may also air on WABB and Lite Mix 99.9.

All of the commercials were filmed on Tuesday, February 15th in Bay Minette. Special recognition to Circuit Court Judge Carmen E. Bosch who played a role in one of the commercials. In addition, thank you to City of Bay Minette Mayor Jamie Tillery and Chief of Police, Michael Rowland, who were instrumental in planning the logistics for the shoot. The filming of these commercials would not have been possible without the help of the following: Serganeat Lamay of the Bay Minette Police Department, Bay Minette Middle School Principal Tammie Fleming, Bay Minette Middle School counselor, Lynn Mitchem, Robertsdale High School, Mr. Grant, Bay Minette Middle School, Mr. Jeffrey Moorer, and Ms. Wallace, Mallory Wallace’s mother who stepped in to play a part. Fairhope High School, Robertsdale High School, and Bay Minette Middle School’s should be commended for their efforts in coordinating the schedules of their school winners so that they were able to be involved in the filming of the commercials.

The production of the Bay Minette Middle School commercial was sponsored by Mayor Jamie Tillery, Chief Michael Rowland, and the City of Bay Minette. The productions of the remaining two commercials were paid by the BCCA and FOX 10 TV. The air time for all of the commercials is sponsored by the Baldwin County Community Alliance (BCCA) which operates through Baldwin County Mental Health Center, Prevention Services. The BCCA is comprised of community agencies that meet regularly to discuss strategies to target underage drinking and drug use. The goal of the BCCA is to decrease access and availability of alcohol among youth while changing community norms and attitudes through multiple media campaigns. The BCCA also strives to inform parents about underage drinking which is often a precursor for further involvement with alcohol and other drug use.