It’s something we all face, making a good or bad decision, especially for our youth. A group of Pasco County students decided to make a video about real life situations they face and it won a local contest. 

  • High school students win Pasco County Sheriff's Office contest with 'Good Decisions' video
  • Video shows the importance of making good decisions 
  • Students hope the video makes a difference in the decisions their peers make

The project made by J.W. Mitchell High School students is about issues they face every day. Questions in the video included, "Should I really go drink with my friends?"

"You hear about it every day in the hallways, you see people doing all sorts of terrible things," said student Christian Hernandez. 

It’s a video that shows truth to what children have to face but also the consequences. In the video Gavin Nall plays a student who gets in a fight. “There's a lot of violence out there now, everybody is normalizing it and they think that it's OK to go out and hit somebody. But realistically you'll be facing charges, end up in a bad spot," said Nall. 

The video recently won first place in a Pasco County Sheriff’s Office contest but it isn’t just a contest for these kids.

Gavin Growe plays a student posting about scary clowns. “I was the person that posted on social media about clowns, it's very serious,” said Growe. “I think it was serious partly because at the time it was a real threat."

The students say they hope it makes a difference. “I think it's very helpful not only for them but for us to remember that it's happening and that it's dangerous," said student Maria Zalivaka. 

Hernandez was the director of the video. He won a GoPro he plans to use with his film club for their next project. 

The contest is part of a county-wide initiative to increase engagement between school children and government. Last year the sheriff’s office contest involved a written essay.

The money for the GoPro came from the Pasco Sheriff’s Charities account, not a taxpayer account. 

Here is a link to Christian talking to the Sheriff about the making of the video: https://youtu.be/N27IejR5ZIU

And here is a link to the winning video: https://youtu.be/xAIAtSbp4wI