Middle School Participates in Safe Driving Campaign

April was National Youth Traffic Safety and National Distracted Driving Month.

Beginning the week of April 8, and in collaboration with the Garden City Middle School PTA president Beth Spirakis, assistant principal Susan Lee and Home Base coordinator Danielle Caruthers, Garden City Middle School participated in the “Safe Driving Campaign” sponsored by “New York State Teen Safe Driving Coalition’s Teen Crashes Program.”

This annual campaign stresses the importance of overall safe driving and anti-texting. The middle school qualified for a $200 grant from the coalition for implementing and hosting the safe driving activities. The students and parents signed pledges stating that they would enforce safe driving habits. The pledges currently hang in the middle school’s main hallway as a daily reminder. The students also created slogans and posters, which were displayed around the building and outside along the curb near parent pick-up.

The three winning posters were designed by home base students in Mrs. Kathleen Gallagher’s sixth grade, Mrs. Economu’s seventh grade and Mrs. Pollack’s eighth grade. An additional poster was selected from Ms. Nancy Gallagher’s eighth grade home base as an outdoor sign and subsequently displayed at the middle school’s main entrance. Mrs. Aguilo’s Creative Writing class designed messages for morning announcements. Discussions also took place at recent PTA meetings.

The goal of raising awareness about safe driving is critical. According to a February 2013 study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Each day in the United States, more than 9 people are killed and more than 1,060 people are injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver.”

The Center for Disease Control analyzed data from 2011 and noted, “Sixty-nine percent of drivers in the United States ages 18-64 reported that they had talked on their cell phone while driving within the 30 days before they were surveyed. Thirty-one percent of U.S. drivers ages 18-64 reported that they had read or sent text messages or email messages while driving at least once within the 30 days before they were surveyed.”

"We are extremely proud of the middle school's achievement in formulating this successful campaign as they raised awareness about safe driving habits,” Mrs. Spirakis said. “The Garden City PTA's goal was to promote the students’ voice by communicating their message to the community and creating a safer environment within our school zones. I think it’s really important to highlight the PTA’s role as it sets a great example not only for safe driving, but as a role model for parent leadership. Parents need to lead by example, as nothing parents say is as important as what their children see them doing on a daily basis."

Submitted by the Garden City School District