Pass with Class
How many students heard the message of your project?
600
Estimated percentage of your student body?
71-80%
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 our Champions Schools Project was to raise awareness, to the best of our ability, about New Jersey’s various safe passing laws. Most safe driving campaigns target texting, distracted driving, drinking and driving, and other various topics. Although these are extremely important concerns that affect drivers on the road, we felt that promoting a newer initiative would be better received by our audience and community.
Execution:
Describe your project and its implementation.
The focus of our project was: The little things are the big things.
We felt that by doing smaller and meaningful projects, we would make a greater impact on our community. Students were fist surveyed to see how much they already knew about New Jersey’s safe passing laws, and from the data collected, it was not much. With the creation of Edison Academy’s Safe Driving Club, our members were able to work diligently on small projects over the last few months to raise awareness about the move over laws. Students created bulletin boards in our driver education classroom to start. We then added important driving laws into our daily school announcements. Students spread awareness by handing out stickers and magnets, and making an Instagram page with over 8,000 views to date. We worked with the local police department, NJ EZ Ride and The Nikhil Badlani Foundation to bring various community initiatives into our school. Students across grade levels were able to participate and be exposed to meaningful discussions and involvement in positive change.
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)
Students engaged with local communities through open roundtable discussions with Elizabeth Police Officers from the community relations division. Officers came in to speak with students about safe driving, police interactions and the move over law. Students were able to ask questions and have positive dialogue with law enforcement. The safe driving club was also able to display their sticker, tee-shirts, QR Code and magnets at the Union County Connects Rails to Trails event in Kenilworth. Many members of the local community asked questions about the club and our initiative. We gained followers as well as supporters. By performing the Walkability Audit with EZ Ride, Edison students are engaging the local community and public offices by asking for, and encouraging change for safer streets for both vulnerable road users and drivers.
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)
We believe that our approach was unique, and we engaged with our entire student body to spread our message. We focused on the slogan “Pass Me Like You Know Me…Because You Do” to emphasize the importance of the Safe Passing Laws in NJ. We wanted to create something that our audience would remember and it has a positive message about it. Our fun social media videos garnered great attention and have received over 8,000 views collectively! We also used the phrase “Give me 4” referring to giving vulnerable road users 4ft of space. Students would say “give me 4” instead of “give me 5” and high five each other. Students would also playfully ask others in the hallway to pass them like they knew them when they bumped shoulders or were walking too close as well.
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).
Students worked as a team on various projects, including the Badlani Foundation Art mural, the walkability audit, and through our filming and PSA creations for our social media page. These photos are in our PowerPoint Presentation.
Use of Research/Data:
Show how you used local resources to help identify, deliver, assess, and present your project (Examples: local/statewide/national data.).
The local resources we used to help us in our project were the governments websites as well as the DMV website and NJBikeped.org.
These informational sites helped us provide accurate and important information to our target audience.
Use of Media:
Document how you used media in your project (examples: local radio, TV, newspapers, social media, websites, video, PSAs).
Using social media as a platform to promote awareness about NJ Safe Passing laws was highly beneficial for several reasons. We had a wide reach because social media platforms have billions of active users worldwide which helped in spreading awareness quickly and efficiently. We were able to target specific demographics, interests, and locations by using tags and hashtags. It enabled us to engage with the audience who are most likely to be interested in our topic, thus increasing the chances of creating a meaningful impact. Visual content tends to be more engaging and shareable, maximizing the reach of our campaign. This proved true when our original videos (reels) received over 8,000 views collectively! Students worked together on PSA posts with important information about passing vulnerable road users, emergency vehicles, and school busses. The real-time communication and updates help keep our audience informed and engaged, building a sense of community around our cause.
Evaluation and Impact:
Describe how you measured the impact of your project (examples: pre/post observational studies, surveys, quizzes, interviews, etc.)
The Safe Driving Club administered a pre and post survey to gather data on how many students knew about the NJ Safe Passing Law and the NJ Move Over Law. We were able to increase awareness of the Safe Passing Law by 24% and the Move Over Law by 37%.
Sustainability:
How will your project have a lasting effect on your target group?
Learning about safe passing and pedestrian/cyclist safety laws can have a lasting impact on students and the community by instilling lifelong habits of caution and awareness when navigating streets. By being aware of these regulations, they can lessen the likelihood of accidents and injuries as pedestrians and future drivers by learning to take responsibility for their own safety as well as the safety of others. It also fosters a culture of respect for traffic rules and encourages proactive decision-making in potentially dangerous situations. Overall, this knowledge can contribute to creating safer communities and saving lives.
Unexpected Lessons Learned:
Describe any unintended results that came out of your project.
Unexpected results that were a product of this project, was the overwhelming support for our Driver Education Club from student interest to a growing bond between groups of students. These friendships and partnerships built between students and various grade levels were a pleasant surprise and created a strong cultural atmosphere throughout the building. Most importantly, the enjoyment the student had throughout this project was a pleasant surprise. We hope to continue to foster these relationships in the upcoming years and to grow and develop on them.
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
Phone Microphones $50.46
Tee Shirts $500.24
Stickers $93.83
Magnets $355.47
Total $1000.00
PROJECT MEDIA
