san antonio ——The state-wide environmental protection publicity competition has entered the top four. Four of the six contestants are from San Antonio.
Three of the students attend Straus Middle School in the Northside Independent School District. They are among the top contenders in the “Taking Care of Texas” competition sponsored by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
The competition invites secondary school students to create 30-second advertisements to encourage environmental awareness and action.
Finalists were shortlisted from a large pool of submissions and selected based on the validity of their creativity and message.
“It was a big shock,” said Ruth Smith, a seventh-grader at Strauss Middle School.
Madeleine Franks, another seventh-grader at Strauss Academy, also expressed her surprise.
“I didn’t think I would get one of the six across the state,” Franks said.
Franks’ classmate Makayo Danford had a similar sentiment.
“I was very surprised because I thought there were a lot of people making great videos,” Danford said.
Despite the students’ collective surprise, their passion for the environment was evident.
Franks, who enjoys hiking with her family, talked about her concerns about the environment.
“I really hope I can make a difference,” Franks said. “Keeping the environment safe is very important to me.”
Student efforts are not limited to their school projects.
Smith, who often takes on the responsibility of encouraging her siblings to recycle, shared her experience teaching her younger siblings the importance of going green.
“They just roll their eyes and walk away,” Smith said with a laugh, but said she was determined to keep trying.
Voting for the top three finalists will continue until January 24.
Regardless of the outcome, the message from students remains clear: protecting the environment is critical for the future.
“It’s important to protect the environment because it’s one of the reasons we’re still here,” Danford said. “The environment gives us plants, air, food and happiness.”
Another student, Dahae Kim from Dr. John Minx Middle School in Northside ISD, was also a semifinalist.
For more information about voting, Click here.
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