HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A Quioccasin Middle School 7th-grader took home a statewide winning prize by putting his musical talents to the test and bringing greater awareness to teen driver safety during this holiday season. James "JC" McGee of Henrico County took heed of his mother's advice to join the "2024 Jingle Your Way to a Safe Holiday: Buckle Up and Celebrate Responsibly" contest. "I just came home from school [and] my mom was like, 'let me show you this real quick' [and] I was like, 'Okay -- oh, it's a competition,'" McGee said. "There's three key things that I need: 'safe driving, more safe driving and even more safe driving.'" The contest is held under the statewide peer-to-peer education and leadership program, Youth of Virginia Speak about Traffic Safety (YOVASO). Richmond man gets second chance at a Jeopardy! win Program administrators challenged high and middle school students across the Commonwealth to create a jingle around the idea of keeping teen drivers and passengers safe during the holiday season. The 12-year-old music artist and songwriter had a few renditions in mind before coming up with his catchy tune, "Step by Step." Though McGee isn't old enough to receive his permit, he thought of his 17-year-old sister, who is a teen driver. "I need to make sure she knows to be safe while she's driving, too," McGee said. Over a dozen Chesterfield school zones are getting speed cameras The song features lyrics such as "Keep both eyes on the road, look both ways before you go, just take it slow, " and "We all get home, yeah, that's the deal ... step-by-step-by-step-by-step-by," which stem from his past memories. "I've seen car crashes before and I was like 'oh, this is bad,' so, I was like, 'I need y'all to focus on it — I need y'all to focus on safe driving, so that we all get home and we're all safe,'" he said. McGee won the entire middle school division, winning a grand prize of $200 for his entry. "Honestly, I [have] never won a statewide competition, or a competition [at all,]" McGee said. "I really [wanted] to showcase my talent and stuff, because I really like music." McGee's mother, Felencia McGee, also sat down with 8News and shared how she felt about her son's win. "To know that he had a part in getting a message out to the teen drivers about staying safe, about getting home safe, about removing all of those distractions from driving, I'm beyond proud of him ... and all of the contestants, for that matter," Felencia McGee said. Chesterfield preschoolers donate canned goods bought with own money McGee told 8News he hopes to participate in the contest again and, in the meantime, he will continue to work on his craft to make his dream become reality.  To watch McGee's winning holiday jingle, click here. YOVASO's program development director gave 8News this statement on behalf of McGee's entry as well as the other contestants: "We are so pleased with [the] creative entries we received during our Jingle Your Way to a Safe Holiday Contest and we’re excited to share them on our social media pages throughout the holiday season to remind teens (and everyone) to buckle up, drive safely, and celebrate responsibly. James’ jingle is catchy, fun, and it addresses several of the top risk factors for teen drivers. It’s one that teens will like, and one that they will remember when they’re behind the wheel!" Casey Taylor, Program Development Coordinator, Youth of Virginia Speak Out about Traffic Safety.