The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Hoosick Falls Central School Is A Top 26 Winner In State Farm’s® Project Ignition Competition

By

You’re in the Driver’s Seat, a student service-learning project on teen driver safety, is one of 26 projects selected through a competitive process to participate in the 2010-2011 Project Ignition (PI) program. The Hoosick Falls team has received a $2,000 grant to implement their project and will be supported by HFCS Student Assistance Counselor Maryann Strauss and members of the staff of the Hoosick Area Youth Center & Community Coalition (HAYC3).
Project Ignition, sponsored by State Farm® and coordinated by the National Youth Leadership Council®, is designed to help teens spread their own messages about driver safety and win grant money for their schools. The program gives students in grades 9 through 12 and their teachers the chance to work together to address the issue of teen driver safety – how it affects them, their community and the world around them.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in the United States. Students from schools across the country and Canada are saving lives through compelling safe driving communication campaigns aimed at convincing their peers of the dangers of risky driving behaviors.
The Hoosick Falls Project Ignition team is planning and implementing its program over the next three months. Completed projects will be submitted in May and up to 10 of the 26 finalists will be chosen as Leader Schools for the next phase of the program.
For more information on this program, visit www.sfprojectignition.com.
About National Youth Leadership Council
NYLC has been at the center of service-learning program and policy development since 1983. It convenes the annual National Service-Learning Conference, offers adult and youth training, and develops service-learning resources. Service learning is a teaching method that enriches learning by engaging students in meaningful service to their schools and communities. It integrates service with established learning objectives, emphasizes critical thinking and problem solving, and tackles real issues such as hunger, ecological concerns, diversity and teen driver safety. For more information, please visit www.nylc.org.