(Chelsey Cherkas, Rob Bennett and Kayla Thorell at Cineplex Theatre.  Photo courtesy of RCMP)

Prince George, B.C. – A pair of Kelly Road Secondary grads are the winners of the Prince George RCMP’s Step In / Step Up anti-gang video contest.

Step In, Step Up is a program designed to encourage local youth to Step In, by getting involved, and Step Up, by leading the charge to prevent gang activity and recruitment in the community.  One aspect of the project was an ‘anti-gang’-themed video contest open to youth aged 13 to 18. The video had to be a 60 second public service announcement with an anti-gang message.  Funding for the project came from proceeds of the provincial Civil Forfeiture Program.  In all, 14 entries were received and from that, 5 finalists were selected.

Former Kelly Road Secondary students, Chelsey Cherkas and Kayla Thorell, both 18 years old, are the winners of the contest. Chelsey is currently residing in Alberta where she plans to enroll in a Criminal Justice Program in the fall, with the hopes of eventually going to Law School. Kayla is currently attending the College of New Caledonia and hopes to enroll in the nursing program this September.

As the winners of the competition, Chelsey and Kayla were involved in the professional production of the video and received a $250 gift certificate for London Drugs. Kelly Road Secondary School received a digital video prize package valued at over $1200.

The winning submission is available for viewing below: