St. Mary Catholic School students get A+ as winner of ODOT School Traffic Safety Contest
Mrs. Karen Trout and the students of St. Mary Catholic School in Hillsboro have earned an A+ in walking and bicycling traffic safety from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), receiving $1,000 as a regional winner in its "Every Move You Make, Keep It Safe" School Safety Contest.
Demonstrating their understanding of safety when walking or biking to school, St. Mary students in kindergarten through fourth grade created a safety book and slide show from the pictures they drew.
Projects were judged on creativity, level of student participation, knowledge of walking and bicycle safety practices, and positive impact on the local school environment. St. Mary students were one of 35 entries from schools, teachers and students throughout ODOT District 9 which competed in the contest.
"The students at Saint Mary Catholic School in Hillsboro would like to extend a special thank you to the Ohio Department of Transportation for the new fence around their playground," Mrs. Trout said.
"The kind people at Morgan Fence, knowing the importance of the safety fencing, came out the very next day and measured the area. They had it in place just a few days afterward.
"Some of the children have even said that they feel more safe now playing tag and running after the ball," Mrs. Trout said.
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(The playground borders the alley behind the school.)
Two students who were a big part of the project as they organized the slide show were Jeffrey Beery and Kieran Conlon. They are not pictured because they have graduated from our school since they are now in fifth grade.
The contest is part of the "Every Move You Make, Keep It Safe" statewide Ohio Safe Routes to School educational campaign aimed at reducing the number of crashes within two miles of a school.
"Our aim is to improve safety through engineering, enforcement and evaluation," said ODOT Director Jerry Wray.
"We believe that a grassroots education program is also needed to encourage safer behaviors."
There were 11,734 bicycle and pedestrian-related crashes that occurred near Ohio K-8 schools resulting in 244 fatalities and 7,350 injuries between 2008 and 2010.
"Peer-to peer programs, like our 'Every Move You Make, Keep It Safe' school contest, are an excellent way to instill safety techniques with the ultimate goal of reducing crashes," said Vaughn Wilson, ODOT District 9 Deputy Director.
The Ohio Department of Transportation selected 36 winners teachers, students and schools from all over Ohio. The ODOT All-Ohio Show Choir launched the contest with a first-of-its-kind, award-winning, hip hop-style educational video that improved students' safety knowledge. Ohio's first lady, Karen Waldbillig Kasich, is the ambassador for the Ohio Safe Routes to School program.
"As the mother of school age children, I encourage everyone to make traveling safely to school a top priority," said Mrs. Kasich. "Talk to your students. Set good examples of safe walking, bicycling and driving behavior and stay alert when traveling in or around school zones."
The new "Every Move You Make, Keep It Safe" educational campaign represents the agency's largest, most comprehensive effort to-date to educate people about school traffic safety.