Makenzie Draper

RL Media Reporter

As you’re driving your normal route to your house, you get a notification on your phone from the passenger seat. You think, “That could be my boss getting back to me on that important project, or that could be my mom telling me how her doctor’s appointment went…I better check that.” 

You reach over for your phone, and as you take your eyes off the road for just a moment, another car slams you and your car into a billboard. As you get out of the car to check the damage, you look up at the billboard to see that it reads:

The Create Real Impact Contest deemed two Red Lion students winners: Allyson Colbert, a 2022 Alumni, and Chase Britton, a current senior, on May 8, 2022.

In this contest, teens and young artists were asked to design a billboard on either alcoholism or the dangers of texting and driving. Both students agreed that this project would serve the purpose to change people’s lives, so they decided to participate. Colbert and Britton decided to take on a design that incorporated texting and driving because they thought it would impact a larger audience, implying that this issue is present in adults and teens. 

Throughout the 3-week long project, Britton and Colbert were a dynamic duo; Britton brainstormed lots of ideas and Colbert was able to convey those ideas in the artistic design. After their hard work was done, their design was voted on by the Department of Transportation and other students. Once all of the votes were cast, Colbert and Britton were deemed the winners, and their designs would be presented publicly on a billboard. But their recognition didn’t stop there. 

Mr. Thom was beyond proud to present this award to them, and he mentioned that “this is a prestigious honor,” Thom said, “Not many people get one of these.” 

Red Lion is extremely proud of Colbert and Britton, and they impacted hundreds of people that drove by their billboard and hopefully thought twice about checking their phones while behind the wheel.