Heads Up, Eyes Forward
How many students heard the message of your project?
7000
Estimated percentage of your student body?
91-100%
Who has your project aimed to reach?
Freshman class| Sophomore class| Junior class| Senior class| School professionals| Parents| Community at large
Objective:
Clearly state the objective of your project.
The objective of this year’s project is to sustain and further spread the Heads Up, Eyes Forward! safe driving message (started in 2011) and reach people beyond the state of New Jersey, with new and innovative methods.
Execution:
Describe your project and its implementation.
We’ve continued to champion our cause on social media with our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tik Tok accounts. Throughout the year, we created several new videos!
Since 2014, we have been rewarding students at Cherokee, Lenape, Seneca, and Shawnee who display our Heads Up Eyes Forward magnet on their vehicles, with our Safe Driver of the Month Parking Spot. In September, the team once again distributed magnets during lunch periods at each of our high schools. Each month, the team selects one vehicle from each school, to win a preferred parking spot at their school. Winners also receive gift cards donated by local businesses.
Our team held our 3rd Annual Safe Driving T-Shirt contest where students in all 4 of our high schools could enter their original t-shirt design. We also created a promotional graphic for the contest that was shown on our schools’ morning shows and we ended up with over 50 entries! We selected a Cherokee High School student as our winner and they received a shirt featuring their design and a gift card to a local restaurant!
School/Community Engagement:
How did you reach your student body and the community? (examples: connecting with nearby colleges, schools, local police departments, persons affected by teen crashes, local/county/state governments, and local businesses)
The Heads Up, Eyes Forward team proudly teamed up with the Medford Police department to create a Public Service Announcement to help spread the message of safe driving and the dangers of being distracted on the road. This video is being aired throughout our schools and on our social media pages, as well as on The Medford Police department Facebook page.
Team Member Hannah Short participated in the KYW Newstudies Program this year, where students must research, write and record a news report about something in their school or community. Hannah’s report was on the Heads Up Eyes Forward campaign and their involvement in the U Got Brains competition. Her report aired on KYW Newsradio and a digital version of the report was posted online.
Creativity:
What makes your project unique and engaging? How did you engage with other student groups to creatively spread your message? (Examples: create artwork, music, plays, unique campaign slogan/logos)
This year, Heads Up Eyes Forward sponsored the first ever Free Throw Frenzy contest during a district basketball game. Our contestant was given 15 seconds to make as many shots as possible. Then he did it again, with a twist – DISTRACTIONS! Our team was on the court representing various distractions that drivers can face while behind the wheel. Everyone in attendance witnessed why it’s important to stay focused on the road in real time.
This year, our main goal was to become more active in our community. Our team participated in various events throughout the district. In the Fall, team members passed out “Be a Smartie” candy and safe driving pledge stickers to the adults at Lenape High School’s Safe Trick or Treat event. Our team partnered with Seneca High School’s Interact Club and volunteered at the Annual Breakfast with Santa. They made Christmas ornaments with the kids and reminded their parents to Drive Safe during the holiday season. We also spread holiday cheer by participating in the Lenape High School’s Student Council Door Decorating Contest, reminding students and staff to drive safe, because Santa is Watching!
Teamwork:
Show how you worked as a team in designing and implementing your project (examples: sign-in sheets at meetings, photos of the group working on tasks).
The Heads Up, Eyes Forward! team met on a daily basis throughout the year to discuss ideas, give status reports, and review videos and other media that the team was producing.
Use of Research/Data:
Show how you used local resources to help identify, deliver, assess, and present your project (Examples: local/statewide/national data.).
Our team worked hard at the beginning of the school year to solicit numerous donations from local businesses. Our Safe Driver of the Month wins both premium parking along with coupons or gift cards. We mention them in all of our social media post.
This year we proudly teamed up with the Medford Police department to create a Public Service Announcement to help spread the message of safe driving and the dangers of being distracted on the road. They helped us gather all the statistics.
Use of Media:
Document how you used media in your project (examples: local radio, TV, newspapers, social media, websites, video, PSAs).
Morning announcements at each of the 4 Lenape District high schools
– Reaching 7,600 students
The Lenape District’s educational access channel LDTV
– Reaching 65,000 homes on Comcast channel 19
– Reaching 40 South Jersey municipalities on Verizon FiOS channel 21
Philadelphia KYW 1060
Heads Up, Eyes Forward! social media sites
YouTube: www.YouTube.com/HeadsUpEyesForward
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/HeadsUpEyesForward
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/HeadsUpEyesFWD
Instagram: www.instagram.com/headsupeyesforward
TikTok: headsupeyesforward
Website: www.LRHSD.org/HeadsUp
Evaluation and Impact:
Describe how you measured the impact of your project (examples: pre/post observational studies, surveys, quizzes, interviews, etc.)
- Social Media – Through our many social media pages we are able to track the growth of our followers and the impact of each post.
- Vehicle Magnets – We were able to see the many different vehicles displaying our logo.
- YouTube – We are able to monitor not only total views but numerous other statistics.
- Website – We were able to track the number of visitors to our www.lrhsd.org/HeadsUp webpage.
Sustainability:
How will your project have a lasting effect on your target group?
With our use of Social Media (Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok) we are able to continue growing a fan base that we can reach on their mobile devices. Every time we post a statistic, photo or video it shows up for all of the friends of our fans, which allows us to reach a larger group each time we get a new fan.
Also, each year a new group of seniors are chosen to work on the Heads Up, Eyes Forward! project which helps to spread the message within our schools.
Unexpected Lessons Learned:
Describe any unintended results that came out of your project.
Our main goal this year was to get more involved with our community and other groups at our schools. One of our ideas was to create a PSA with the SRO from one of our high schools. After meeting with him, we discovered unexpected partnership opportunity with the Medford Police Department. They agreed to help us find statistics about distracted driving and even be in our PSA.
By attending more community events our projected reached a broader audience as well!
Stipend Reporting:
Your school received a stipend to support your Champion School Teen Driving Safety Project. Additionally, any funds that you raised as a result of your project must be reinvested into transportation safety. The purpose of this report is to itemize expenditures for your project that were paid from the stipend
TShirts $470
Total $470
PROJECT MEDIA
