Georgia Teen Selected as Grand Prize Winner in National Teen Safe Driving PSA Competition

SILVER SPRINGS, Md. Thursday, May 14, 2020 /3BL Media/ – Toyota and Discovery Education announced the winners of the TeenDrive365 Video Challenge, a national safe-driving public service announcement competition for high school students. From the nearly 1,000 submissions across all 50 states, ten winners were selected, along with 24 state merit prizes and one People’s Choice winner. See all the winners at teendrive365.com.

High school senior Palmer W. from Hillgrove High School in Georgia’s Cobb County takes first place for his original video entitled “HEY!” urging peers to keep their hands on the wheel, eyes on the road, and yield from distractions. The full list of TeenDrive365 Video Challenge includes: 

• Grand Prize: Palmer W. for “HEY!” from Cobb County in Powder Springs, Georgia receives $15,000 and the chance to work with a Discovery Education film crew to reshoot the winning video as a TV-ready PSA
• Second place prize: Giselle C. for “Don’t Do What I Did” from Springdale Public Schools in Springdale, Arkansas receives $10,000 
• Third place prize: Holden B. for “The Three R's of the Road” from Pajaro Valley Unified School District in Aptos, California receives $7,500 
• Fourth to tenth place prizes: Each of the following receives $2,500  
  • Isaiah C. for “Look Up” from Great Valley School District in Malvern, Pennsylvania 
  • Ethan W. for “Stash it, Stow it, Hide it!” from McKinney ISD in McKinney, Texas 
  • Ethan W. “Driving Mindfully” from Barnstable Public Schools in Hyannis, Massachusetts 
  • Jadin B. for “Distractathon Decathlon” from Howard Suamico School District in Green Bay, Wisconsin 
  • Grayson Z. for “Cars in the Wild” from Palm Beach County in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 
  • Lynsey R. For “Stay Focused” from Parkland School District in Allentown, Pennsylvania 
  • Ayden P. for “A Lesson from Bud” from Colbert County School District in Cedar Hill, Texas
• People’s Choice prize: Ethan W. for “Stash it, Stow it, Hide it!” from McKinney ISD in McKinney, Texas receives an additional $5,000
• NEW! State Merit prizes: A total of 24 teams of teens across the country receive exclusive prize pack from TeenDrive365 

Since 2011, the Toyota TeenDrive365 Video Challenge has awarded over a quarter million dollars in total to high school students across the United States to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving. Students submit self-directed 30-60 second videos for a panel of judges to vote. The student-created PSAs are published nationally by Toyota, effectively sharing the importance of safe driving to teens and families.

“The TeenDrive365 Video Challenge demonstrates the power of peer role modeling while showcasing creativity through this dynamic project-based learning initiative,” said Lori McFarling, President of Corporate Education Partnerships at Discovery Education. “We’re proud to partner with Toyota to amplify the importance of teen safe driving.” 

The TeenDrive365 Video Challenge supplements TeenDrive365, a digital program produced in partnership between Toyota and Discovery Education, offering no-cost digital learning resources empowering educators, families, and teens with life-saving habits. The Toyota TeenDrive365 resources are available at teendrive365.com and through Discovery Education Experience. 

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, Discovery Education is offering schools and school systems not currently using the company’s digital services free access to Discovery Education Experience. Schools accepting this offer will have access to Discovery Education’s dynamic K-12 learning platform and its ready-to-use digital lesson plans, activities, and standards-aligned resources through the remainder of the school year. In addition, Discovery Education is offering a suite of no cost resources for parents and caregivers called Daily DE that can be used at home. For more information, visit Discovery Education’s comprehensive Virtual Learning resource center dedicated to helping educators adapt their instruction to meet today’s needs.

For more information about Discovery Education’s digital resources and professional learning services, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Facebook, follow us on Twitter at @DiscoveryEd, or find us on Instagram and Pinterest.

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About TeenDrive365

TeenDrive365 is a comprehensive program designed by Toyota and Discovery Education to help teens avoid distractions and stay safe behind the wheel. The initiative offers a range of content, tools and resources designed specifically for educators and teens. The program aims to help guide teens through those critical first years behind the wheel, as well as a develop a lifetime of safe driving habits.

About Toyota 

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold 2.7 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.
 
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com

About Discovery Education

Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms. Through its award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia resources, and the largest professional learning network of its kind, Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning, creating immersive STEM experiences, and improving academic achievement around the globe. Discovery Education currently serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 140 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to empower teachers with customized solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.DiscoveryEducation.com.

Contacts
Jennifer Parr, Toyota Motor North America, jennifer.parr@toyota.com 
Grace Maliska, Discovery Education, gmaliska@discoveryed.com