Mt. Tabor High School Sophomore, Ainsley Williams, Wins Safe Sober Prom Night T-Shirt Design Contest

The Winston-Salem, North Carolina based nonprofit, Safe Sober Prom Night is pleased to announce that Ainsley Williams, a sophomore at Mt. Tabor High School, has won the Safe Sober Prom Night T-Shirt Design Contest for 2020.

At a surprise presentation at her home, the winning design was unveiled. Ainsley was presented with the first shirt off the press, framed for display. Honored guests joining attorneys Griff Shuler and David Daggett included Winston-Salem Mayor, Allen Joines; other local dignitaries; and media.

Safe Sober Prom Night honored the classroom of the winning student with a $1000 grant. Mrs. Barbara Trinh, the Teacher of the Year at Mt. Tabor, will use the money for supplies for her Visual Arts classroom to ensure that her students have all the tools they need to succeed in class.

Safe Sober Prom Night is a non-profit organization co-founded in 1991 by David Daggett of Daggett Shuler, Attorneys at Law. “The goal of Safe Sober Prom Night is to provide ongoing awareness of the dangers of drugs and alcohol and to encourage positive peer pressure to reduce underage drinking and drug use,” explains Griff Shuler. The program is currently active in 50 high schools across 10 counties throughout the greater Triad region of North Carolina.

Now celebrating in its 30^th year, Safe Sober Prom Night encourages high school students to be safe with a written pledge to stay drug and alcohol free on prom night. Each student who signs a pledge card receives a t-shirt bearing Ainsley’s winning design. Students are given incentives to keep their commitment, including scholarships and a chance to win $1,000 for their school. To date, more than 600,000 students have signed the Safe Sober “Do it Right!” pledge.

As part of the Safe Sober Prom Night program, Triad students submit their own designs for consideration to be printed on the front of 15,000 t-shirts. These shirts are given to area high school juniors and seniors who sign the pledge. Ainsley is the sole winner of the competition selected from over 150 contest entries from all across the Triad. She received a $1,000 scholarship and her name is printed on the back of each t-shirt.  Many schools incorporate these t-shirts into their spirit week leading up to prom, creating an atmosphere of positive peer pressure encouraging their students to make safe decisions not only on prom night, but year-round.

While Safe Sober Prom Night is aware that all schools in North Carolina are currently closed by order of the Governor, and many proms have been canceled or rescheduled, they remain committed to sharing this positive message with teenagers even in this difficult time. “We don’t know exactly when or where, but we are committed to getting our high schoolers their pledge cards and t-shirts this year,” says Griff Shuler. “We are formulating a plan, and will be in touch with the schools as soon as the current situation settles down.”

“We are so proud of these young people in our community.  Kids like Ainsley are our future!  Safe Sober Prom Night has become a tradition they have embraced and helps students see a positive future!”

Mayor Allen Joines, David Daggett, Winston-Salem Police Chief Catrina Thompson, Griff Shuler, and Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough at the Daggett Shuler office

David Daggett and Mayor Allen Joines presenting Mrs. Barbara Trinh, Visual Arts teacher, with a $1000 grant for her classroom

David Daggett and Griff Shuler about to surprise Ainsley Williams!

Mt. Tabor Principal Ed Weiss, Ainsley Williams, and Mrs. Barbara Trinh

Ainsley Williams and Mrs. Barbara Trinh with Ainsley’s winning design!