Brandywine High School has earned second place out of 36 schools around Michigan in a student-led traffic safety campaign competition.
The competition is held each year as part of the Strive 4 A Safer Drive program, led by Ford Philanthropy and the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. Strive 4 A Safer Drive tasks students with creating and executing their own traffic safety campaign for a full school year.
Brandywine senior Madyson told us her Strive 4 A Safer Drive team last year prepared a grant application for new sidewalks and street lighting in neighborhoods near the school.
“Because a lot of the roads near our houses, they don’t have sidewalks or lighting or anything and a lot of kids have to walk to school, and it’s just not really safe for them to be doing that without any sidewalks or anything,” Madyson said.
As part of the process, Strive 4 A Safer Drive students met with township leaders, the Berrien County Road Department, and their classmates to talk about the need for more sidewalks. The grant application, to be submitted to Safe Routes to School, is being finalized now.
Brandywine senior Colyn says to be recognized by the state for all their work is encouraging for the team.
“It’s really accomplishing because you really get involved in the community and help and really see the parts that are struggling, and the award really meant a lot because it was a special reminder that all of our hard work paid off and made a difference,” Colyn said.
Brandywine School Resource Officer, Deputy McGaffigan of the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department, led the students as they took part in the Strive 4 a Safer Drive program.
Throughout the last school year, the team’s students volunteered in the community, made presentations to kindergarten through fifth grade classes, and took part in a safety audit walk of the area. Both Madyson and Colyn said taking part in the program connected them with new friends and was a rewarding experience. For coming in second in the state competition, their school received a plaque.
You can learn more about Strive 4 a Safer Drive right here, and see more about the Brandywine campaign below.
