| Lincoln-Way Central High
School, New Lenox, is one of the winners in a statewide contest to educate
teens about safe driving. The announcement was made by the governor’s office recently. Lincoln-Way will be awarded from $1,000 to $3,000 to continue programs that were started this year to promote safe driving. Lincoln-Way Central received a $2,000 grant for the 2007-2008 school year that has been used to promote safe driving for students with a program called “Operation Save A Life”. “We emphasized three issues for safe driving to our students; wearing seat belts, driving at an appropriate speed, and no drinking and driving. This grant helped to reinforce safe driving habits, and reminded the students what actually can happen when they are not wearing their seatbelts. The new grant will help us continue with this very important effort for our students,” said Cindy Sikora, administrative assistant. Programs that Lincoln-Way Central instituted using the grant funds included having the students create posters that the school will use next year that emphasize the three issues for safe driving; provided a speaker, Trooper Mark Dorenze, from the Illinois State Police, who spoke to students in the auto classes and drivers education classes demonstrating with his “roll-over machine” what can happen to the driver and passengers when they are involved in an accident and they are not wearing a seat belt. In addition, the school displayed a car that had been involved in a crash at the front entrance of Lincoln-Way Central. “This grant helped the school focus on driving safety, and saving lives. It provided the funds to enable us to remind our students the importance of some basic driving rules. We can not say it enough times for our young people; to wear their seat belts, drive at the appropriate speed, and don’t drink and drive,” said Dr. Moncia Schmitt, principal, Lincoln-Way Central. |