MWHS part of teen driver safety contest
Students practice the distracted driving competition at the Celebrate My Drive campaign kickoff during the MWHS Welcome Back Assembly on Sept. 4. (Photo submitted by Becca Heistad)
Getting a driver’s license is one of life’s biggest milestones, but research shows the first year behind the wheel is the most dangerous.
Traffic crashes are the leading killer of Minnesota teens, primarily due to inexperience, risky driving, speeding and distracted driving. Mound Westonka High School is partnering with State Farm this fall to promote safe teen driving by participating in the national Celebrate My Drive™ campaign.
The goal of the campaign is to celebrate the important milestone of getting a license while exposing teens to tools and resources that will help them be safe on the road. State Farm will host 13 Celebrate My Drive events across the country on Sept. 15.
MWHS is doing its part to support teen drivers by highlighting the dangers of distracted driving in presentations, videos and announcements during the first weeks of school and by putting on a teen driver safety showcase at the Minnesota Celebrate My Drive™ event, held at Ridgedale Center in Minnetonka from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sept. 15.
Community Vote
In promotion of the Celebrate My Drive™ campaign, State Farm is giving away a $100,000 grant to one local high school that effectively promotes teen driver safety. The grant winner will be determined by two categories: student attendance at the event, and the number of votes the school receives during a six-day online voting period starting Sept. 10.
MWHS is asking the Westonka community to help increase the school’s chances to win the grant by voting online each day. Everyone — students, parents, grandparents, teachers, friends and neighbors — age 14 and older is encouraged to vote for Mound Westonka High School at www.celebratemydrive.com. Voting runs from Monday, Sept. 10 to Saturday, Sept. 15; you may vote once per day.
Principal Keith Randklev said the $100,000 grant would help support MWHS students in a variety of ways.
“The money received from the Celebrate My Drive™ grant would go directly back to students at MWHS in the form of additional scholarships, our Celebrations Assemblies awards, various student recognition programs and resources/materials that will directly impact the greatest range of students possible,” he said.
Assistant Principal Marty Fischer echoed Randklev’s sentiments.
“There are so many great things Mound Westonka High School could do with $100,000,” Fischer said. “We know that if our students, families and all of their friends vote for MWHS every day from September 10-15, we have a great chance to win. In addition, we are hoping for an incredible showing at the September 15 Celebrate My Drive event at Ridgedale Mall.”
Celebrate My Drive Minnesota
State Farm’s Celebrate My Drive Minnesota event Sept. 15 will feature both indoor and outdoor activities and displays at Ridgedale Center. Teens and their families are invited to drive a go-kart that demonstrates the difficulty of driving distracted, check out the Minnesota State Patrol’s rollover crash simulator and test their skills against the University of Minnesota’s Distracted Dodger driver safety video game. Teens will also have the chance to win prizes—including a new car.
The MWHS Showcase — which will feature a performance by the MWHS dance team and videos highlighting the high school’s safe teen driver campaign — will take place at 3:15 p.m.
The showcase will be part of the Celebrate My Drive event, taking place Saturday, Sept. 15 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Ridgedale Center Mall. The Ridgedale Center Mall is located at 12401 Wayzata Boulevard in Minnetonka.
For more information, go to www.facebook.com/CelebrateMyDrive.
