ST. PAUL -- A group of Willmar Senior High students have been awarded second place in the AAA-Department of Public Safety 2009 Buckle Up, Teens! TV Commercial Contest.
The group's commercial "When the Time Is Right, Buckle Up" received 1,792 votes in the contest. Team members included Mitchell Konieczny with Carrie Boike, Tom Chester, Mitch Fader and Kylen Vossen.
A Plymouth teen carried 7,329 of a record-high 10,936 votes to capture the contest. Matt Ferro's spot, "Nothing Can Replace a Life," featured a dramatic crash scene to present the importance of wearing seat belts.
The online viewing and voting at http://www.rockthebelt.org/ ran from May 4 to 18 and featured the six finalist spots. The Willmar teens were awarded $600 from AAA. The winning spot will make its broadcast debut on June 4 during the 6 p.m. TV newscasts of KARE, KSTP and WCCO, and the 5:30 p.m. newscast on KMSP.
