Arriving Alive At Disrict 145
Serena Mueller
Feature Editor
Parent-teacher conferences weren’t a stand-alone event occurring at Waverly High School on the night of Tuesday, Oct. 21.
The FCCLA advisor and members, as well as juniors a part of the distracted driving group, organized a night for District 145 and all the surrounding areas to the high school for an inspiring story.
Reggie Shaw, who has appeared on Oprah and traveled across the country, turned his mess as a teenager into a message to broadcast to adults and teens throughout the world.
Shaw was flown in all the way from Utah to tell his story and ask others not to make the same mistake he did.
“What seemed like such a small choice had huge consequences, and not only for me but for everyone involved,” Shaw said.
The focus is distracted driving and texting while driving.
“At 19, I had goals and plans, I wrote down these goals and plans,” Shaw said. “Then I wrote down what could stop me from achieving these, and using my cell phone behind the wheel was not one of them.”
A number of simulators, a State Farm pledging booth and the Alexis project were all at Waverly High School.
“It was a great way to know about the consequences of a little decision,” sophomore Moira Kleinschmit said. “There was a rolling car simulator, the booth that you could commit to safe driving, beer goggles and the Alexis project.”
The Alexis Project is strongly against drunk driving, and thinks designated drivers deserve treatment as if they’re heroes. At the Alexis Project, there exists a strong belief within all members that all it takes is one person and a small action to make a difference.
Organizations similar to the Alexis Project and stories similar to Reggie’s should prove as enough reason to stay off the phone while on the road.
For more information on the students’ distracted driving group or the Alexis Project, follow @DrivinDistractd on twitter or visit https://www.thealexisproject.org/.
