Lights On or Lights Off
How many students heard the message of your project?
2300
Estimated percentage of your student body?
91-100%
Who has your project aimed to reach?
Freshman class| Sophomore class| Junior class| Senior class| School professionals| Parents| Community at large
Objective:
Clearly state the objective of your project.
The objective of our project is to bring awareness to pedestrian and driver safety, especially at night, and encourage drivers to turn their lights on. We created our campaign “Lights On or Lights Out,” because there are many areas in our community that we feel do not have enough streetlights and are very dark in the evening. When speaking with a number of our classmates, we discovered that far too many of us do not turn our lights on when needed, most often at dusk.
Execution:
Describe your project and its implementation.
For “Lights On or Lights Out,” we focused our efforts to not only our school community, but our local communities in both South Orange and Maplewood as well. Some of the ways we implemented our message was by creating merchandise with our customized logo, including stickers, car magnets, and t-shirts, that we handed out to our student body, staff, and community members. In addition, we had articles posted within our school newspaper as well as stories included on our broadcast television network showcasing our intentions. Our school broadcast is also posted on YouTube and aired via our local cable network to both communities. We also posted consistently on our Instagram and TikTok to spread our message.
School/Community Engagement:
How did you reach your student body and the community? (examples: connecting with nearby colleges, schools, local police departments, persons affected by teen crashes, local/county/state governments, and local businesses)
As mentioned above, some of the ways we implemented our message was by creating merchandise with our customized logo, including stickers, car magnets, and t-shirts, that we handed out to our student body, staff, and community members. In addition, we had articles posted within our school newspaper as well as stories included on our broadcast television network showcasing our intentions. Our school broadcast is also posted on YouTube and aired via our local cable network to both communities. We also posted consistently on our Instagram and TikTok to spread our message. We were also in contact with our local police departments, who assisted us with both our Public Service Announcement, and our efforts to get people to Share the Road via the JerseyDrives pledge.
Creativity:
What makes your project unique and engaging? How did you engage with other student groups to creatively spread your message? (Examples: create artwork, music, plays, unique campaign slogan/logos)
One way that we engaged students and staff outside of our team, was by having focus groups for our Public Service Announcement. We also held “Sign the Pledge” events a number of times during the lunch periods at our school to try to get as many to sign the pledge as we could.
We also spread our merchandise around to students and staff to help promote our “Lights On or Lights Out” message, and get that message and our logo seen and heard as much as possible.
Teamwork:
Show how you worked as a team in designing and implementing your project (examples: sign-in sheets at meetings, photos of the group working on tasks).
Since we are all members of a TV Production class, it was easy to meet everyday. We were led by our teacher, Mr. Campiglia, and our class director, Skylar Smith. We were able to split up responsibilities among us, and we worked very well as a team.
Use of Research/Data:
Show how you used local resources to help identify, deliver, assess, and present your project (Examples: local/statewide/national data.).
We used data from local resources and websites, including Jerseydrives.com, when we presented our campaign to the Driver’s Ed. classes, and for our Instagram and TikTok posts.
Use of Media:
Document how you used media in your project (examples: local radio, TV, newspapers, social media, websites, video, PSAs).
We had articles posted within our school newspaper, as well as stories included on our broadcast television network showcasing our intentions. Our school broadcast is also posted on YouTube and aired via our local cable network to both communities. We also posted consistently on our Instagram and TikTok to spread our message.
Evaluation and Impact:
Describe how you measured the impact of your project (examples: pre/post observational studies, surveys, quizzes, interviews, etc.)
One way that we measured how our message was getting out there was by word of mouth. We often had many students and some staff members see our logo, either on a t-shirt, car magnet, or sticker, and talk to us about it. They often said, “I’ve seen that before,” which then prompted a conversation. We also presented our campaign to some of our Driver’s Ed. classes, and then before the class finished for the quarter, we went back to talk to them again.
Sustainability:
How will your project have a lasting effect on your target group?
We presented our campaign to some of our Driver’s Ed. classes, and many of the teachers in the Driver’s Ed. program said that they will continue to stress the “Lights On or Lights Off” message in their curriculum. We also think the t-shirts we designed and handed out will continue to be worn by many of the students, and that will keep the message alive.
Unexpected Lessons Learned:
Describe any unintended results that came out of your project.
Throughout the course of our campaign, we realized a lot of faults of our own driving. For instance, when discussing what we wanted to focus our project on, we were able to come up with many rules that we as drivers sometimes do not follow. Although we created the PSA and our target audience was our school community, the campaign helped keep us as a class accountable for our own actions.
Stipend Reporting:
Your school received a stipend to support your Champion School Teen Driving Safety Project. Additionally, any funds that you raised as a result of your project must be reinvested into transportation safety. The purpose of this report is to itemize expenditures for your project that were paid from the stipend
Merchandise (t-shirts, car magnets, stickers) $750
Lunch/Dinner for crew when filming $150
Total $900
PROJECT MEDIA
