Kickin’ Off
Just two months in to the academic year many Lookin’ Out clubs are already at full throttle spreading the word about safe driving. Several schools held kickoff activities to start the year while others hosted homecoming-related events.
Lookin’ Out club members at Sayre High School (Sayre, Pa.) started things off with the “Safe Buckle Challenge.” The event timed participants as they went from seat to seat of a car, buckling and unbuckling their seatbelts in each spot.
Nearly 200 students and faculty participated in the challenge with prizes being awarded for top individual times and the top teams of four.
With the goal of the “Safe Buckle Challenge” being to encourage seatbelt use, posters at the event boasted the following reminders: “Buckling up takes no time at all” and “See how easy it is to buckle up.”
Club members secured two Scions from a local dealership for the day and winners received Lookin’ Out prize packs.
Erie Insurance Agent Kim Mastrantonio of the Nancy Smith Insurance Agency says the event was more successful than anticipated.
“The event generated a lot of interest throughout the school and students are already asking when we will do it again,” said Mastrantonio.
Sayre students plan to make the Challenge an annual event.
Other Lookin’ Out Happenings
New to the program this year, the Winfield High School (Winfield, W. Va.) Lookin’ Out committee worked on two events in the month of October. A coffin display was set up in the main entrance of the school accompanied by a mirror and several posters encouraging responsible behavior.
The Winfield group also coordinated the distribution of Boo Grams, bags of candy that could be sent to fellow students as gifts. Boo Grams were delivered around Halloween and each treat had a tag with a safety message attached.
Members of the Rustburg High School Lookin’ Out Club (Rustburg, Va.), in conjunction with YOVASO (Youth of Virginia Are Speaking Out), took part in “For Kids' Sake Safety Day” at the River Ridge Mall in Lynchburg, Va., on Sept 15. In an effort to promote traffic safety, the students distributed various giveaway items, and crash test dummies Vince and Larry greeted children and talked about the importance of wearing seatbelts.
Students at Ambridge High School (Ambridge, Pa.) hosted the Pennsylvania DUI Association’s Safety SIM, a driving simulator housed in a trailer that allows drivers to feel first-hand how alcohol impairs their ability to steer and brake. The event was held in partnership with Lookin’ Out and The Prevention Network, a local non-profit agency that promotes wellness and healthy decisions.
After taking on the simulator, Ambridge students also got to experience a sense of impairment through the distorted vision provided by Fatal Vision goggles.
Do you have activity ideas or event photos to share? Tell us about them.
Sayre High School’s Safe Buckle Challenge
