Ava High School began conducting Project Life Guard on Oct. 4. The program will run for 21 days, ending Oct. 28.
The FCCLA club (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) is sponsoring the event this year and the students of 2nd block Family & Consumer Sciences health class are planning the events for the project.
Already scheduled is an SIDNE demonstration with the Missouri State Highway Patrol on Oct. 13. It will be held during lunchtime in the patio area of the school. SIDNE is a demonstration of distracted or impaired driving using a go-cart and impaired goggles. This year the project will also be demonstrating the dangers of texting and driving.
For the Battle of the Belt competition, students surveyed all cars entering the student parking lot on Sept. 29 before school. It was found that 61 percent of drivers were wearing their seat belts. Sixty-two percent of their passengers were seat belted. This figure is consistent with high school students in our state, but is not acceptable. Seat belt use is the major reason for surviving a crash.
Community organizations, churches, and businesses wanting to help with Project Life Guard should contact Mrs. Tomlinson, FCCLA advisor, at 683-5747 ext. 357 to sign up for date for the organization to help.
Volunteers are needed to pass out treats for seat-belt wearers at the parking lot each afternoon, or to donate prizes/treats to the project.
Two years ago, Ava High School won $700 for high seat belt use in Southwest Missouri. The goal of the class and the month-long project is to save lives by encouraging seat belt use in our community. Seat belts keep people inside the car. If a person is not attached to the car, they hit the inside of their own car and then the road, trees, or other objects at the speed they are traveling.
