Eagle Contest: 2 local high school students win $200 each for submissions
Texting and driving is a dangerous combination that can ruin or even end a victim's life in the blink of an eye.
Cyberbullying is a harmful way of communicating that can ruin a victim's life through just a few words.
The Butler Eagle partnered with the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Foundation to increase awareness of distracted driving and cyberbullying for high school students by offering “It Can Wait” and “Stop Cyberbullying” editorial contests.
These contests encouraged students to write a column or record an editorial video on “Why is it important to take the It Can Wait pledge to drive distraction free?” and/or “Why cyberbullying is dangerous and should not be tolerated.”
Aiden Kutchma, a senior at Seneca Valley High School from Cranberry, won the “It Can Wait” campaign contest through an editorial submission. Reilly Martin, a freshman at First Baptist Christian School from Bruin, won the “Stop Cyberbullying” campaign contest through a short video PSA she created.
As Butler Eagle's winners, Kutchma and Martin will receive $200 each, and their entries will be forwarded to the state level, where a $500 top prize will be awarded in both contests, and second- and third-place prizes of $200 or $100 may be awarded.
Kutchma's submission is in the form of a news article that tells the story of a teen driver who caused a fatal accident because he was “responding to a text message group chat.” The crash injured four people and killed one, created thousands of dollars in damage and caused thousands more to lose power.The driver in the story is charged with multiple counts for the incident, including vehicular homicide, because Kutchma wanted to describe how much damage could be caused by just a second of distracted driving, he said.“It doesn't matter what's on your phone when you're driving,” he said. “You can ruin or end someone's life and your own in a second, and you just hate to see that go down.”Kutchma said he reads about car accidents in the news and sees the results of crashes on television, images that stick in his mind and remind him of what could happen if he is an irresponsible driver. He included a lot of detail about the crash in his submission to paint a picture of a crash that readers would have an easy time remembering.“I wanted to write a piece that was going to stick in the minds of people,” Kutchma said. “It's something that's important for everyone.”
Martin's video consists of her speaking to the viewer about what cyberbullying is and how writing inconsiderate posts or putting rude messages online can harm others.Martin wanted to enter the contest because she has seen cyberbullying and its effects firsthand, and wanted to explain why it is harmful as a way to try to put a stop to it.“I was trying to get across that bullying is not acceptable at all,” she said. “We shouldn't be putting other people down. We should be building them up.”Martin also called people who partake in this behavior cowards for not even talking to people to their faces, and hurtful thoughts should just be kept as thoughts.“You're hiding behind a profile picture,” Martin said. “If it's on the internet and it's unkind thoughts, I would rather you keep it to yourself.”Seeing negative words overrun comment sections online on content she watches and enjoys, Martin said she wants to one day see this sea of negativity go away and be replaced by more thoughtful or positive commentary.Kutchma's editorial column and Martin's video will go on to be judged by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Foundation, which will announce statewide results the week of April 12. Those winners will be recognized at a later Student Keystone Media Awards celebration.
