In 2021, Bristol Police Sgt. Ricardo Mourato enlisted the help of Mt. Hope High School Media Communications students to create a recruitment video for the department. The end result was an excellent product that is still in use today.

For Mourato, the sense of community pride that using a product created by our own students is as important as the end result. So when it was time to create a series of Public Service Announcements on issues that impact young drivers, he knew just where to go.

The students have created the first three videos in the “Did You Know” series: provisional licenses, texting while driving, and obeying white lines at crosswalks. The first of these has been released this week and posted on the Police Department’s Facebook page as well as the Town website.

As in 2021, the work was done by students in Brian Latessa’s class. “It's a great collaboration between us and the police department and the community of Bristol,” said Latessa. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to do these real-life situations and projects with the students.”

The entire production process took about three weeks from start to finish.
“It was great, the students were very enthusiastic,” said Mourato at last Tuesday’s unveiling of the videos at Mt. Hope High School. “I just planted the seed as to what we're looking for and they ran away with it.

“We could have hired a company to do it but the high school kids have a vested interest, I’m proud of that.”

For Police Chief Kevin Lynch, it’s particularly valuable having young voices reaching out to their own demographic.

“I think often we're missing reaching the younger generation with information because nobody wants to listen to an old guy like me tell you folks how you should act,” Lynch told the students.

“It was really fun,” said Emily Reynolds of Bristol, a senior. “It was a good learning experience.”

“I feel like a lot of kids need to hear this stuff because many don't think drinking and driving or texting and driving is that serious,” said Gavin Siembab, a senior from Warren. “So I think the videos will change how think about stuff like that, before they do it.”