Gorham High School (GHS) graduate Emily Duncan (GHS ‘21) won first place in the 17th annual Arrive Alive Creative Contest, sponsored by the Law Offices of Joe Bornstein. The contest encourages students from all over Maine to produce a creative project that implements the message about the dangers of distracted driving.

Duncan’s video focused on how the choices drivers make not only affect themselves but also the lives of their families and friends. She was notified of her first-place award virtually on June 17.

Duncan’s advice to students hoping to participate next year is this: “Look at the past entries and do what you can to not be them. They get thousands of essays that are virtually the same each year. Either make your message stand out and have it heard, or let it drown amongst those who never risk stepping outside the box.”

Six other Gorham graduates placed in the Top 20: Haley Crosby and Amelia Yahwak in second place, and MacKenna Homa, Evan Koenig, Zakary Lembarra, and Jake Lesser in third place.

First-place winners received a new laptop, second and third-place winners received a new iPad, and every student that entered received prizes from the law firm.

Gorham High School teachers Catherine Paul and Lucinda Stein have made the Arrive Alive contest part of their curriculum and inspire students to think proactively about the dangers of distracted driving. Since incorporating the contest into their classrooms, GHS has had a total of 234 students enter the contest.