Oconee Co. High's T-Shirt Design a Finalist in National Contest

In an effort to spread the word about the dangers of distracted driving, high schools nationwide are participating in the National Organizations for Youth Safety's Act Out Loud contest.

There are three rounds of the contest leading up to National Youth Traffic Safety (NOYS) Month in May and a $10,000 grand prize.

The first activity is the "SAFE-TEE Shirt Design Contest," and Oconee County High School's T-shirt design about the dangers of texting while driving has been selected as one of the top 25 out of over 300 entries.

OCHS' design is a black shirt with "Texting while driving cracks me up" and the NOYS logo printed on the front.  On the back is the image of a cracked screen of a smart phone in mid-text message. (See the team from OCHS)

Voting for the top design is taking place on the Act Out Loud Facebook page now through Feb. 29. To vote, simply "Like" the design. The winning school will receive up to 500 T-shirts with the winning design, according to the website.

In March, teams will create signs about teen driving and passenger restrictions to display at their schools or in the community.  Voting for the top sign design will take place at the end of next month.

Teams that complete both rounds one and two will advance to round three where they will be asked to promote the Act Out Loud Facebook Yearbook application throughout the month of April.

Teams are awarded points throughout each phase of the contest and the team with the most points will win the $10,000 grand prize from The All-State Foundation and a private concert with Skylar. The website notes the winner will be announced on May 16.