Local high schools receive grants for project prom and graduation

SIKESTON — Several local high schools have received grant funding from the Southeast Coalition for Roadway Safety for their upcoming project proms or graduations.

“Traffic crashes have a lasting effect on each of us. Through education programs like Project Prom/Graduation, BUPD or Arrive Alive, hopefully we can change the causes or impact of these crashes.” says Sgt. Clark Parrott, Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop E Public Information Officer.

Through the grant, schools received $200 for student lock-in events. The funding helps with event expenses such as location rental, food and entertainment. The schools also received teaching materials about road safety to share with their students.

Charleston High School was one of the grant recipients, and Kyle Johnson, co-coordinator of the high school project graduation, said they will hold a lock-in at their school. 

Johnson said that he and Berry Hooper are the event’s coordinators, and they contacted Missouri Department of Transportation to apply for the grant. 

The school’s project graduation will take place after their regular graduation, and Johnson said he believes it is important to educate the students on roadway safety that night.

“You know, the one thing about project graduation is that it’s a night for students to spend one last time being together but in a safe environment  without being associated with alcohol or drug use,” Johnson said. 

Johnson said that they are pleased to have received the MoDOT grant and that parents have also played an important role in helping this year. 

“We are happy to partner with MoDOT,” Johnson said. “We are grateful to get the grant from MoDOT because it helps us to be able to give every student a gift that night to show our appreciation for all their hard work over the past four years. It’s just amazing to have MoDOT be willing to partner with us on that.”

To be eligible, schools have to include a presentation or activity that educates students about highway safety issues during the lock-in or event week. 

While traffic fatalities are increasing, safety education is vital to minimizing serious injuries and deaths on Missouri’s roads. Many schools are using a variety of methods to educate students, including presentations and programs from local law enforcement, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Safe and Sober and docudramas. 

New Madrid County Central High School also received the MoDOT grant, and high secretary and project graduation coordinator Roshawnda Robinson said the students will have their project graduation at Dogwood Social in Cape Girardeau.

Robinson said she will probably show the MoDOT roadway safety presentation before project graduation because one of the seniors who was not wearing a seatbelt had a terrible accident this school year.

Robinson said she would prefer to show the presentation a day or two before in the school library. 

 “I do think it is important that we show the presentation,” Robinson said. “I just really want to drive home the point of wearing the seatbelt, because one of our own did not do that this year and it could have turned out worse than what it did.”

According to Robinson, she is extremely grateful to receive the grant.

“Working education, you love the kids so much and you want to do all you can to help them once they walk across that stage to remember what you put into them and to help them to be better and good citizens,” Robinson said. “This is something that will actually help the students, it’s something that’s really a big deal to us, and it teaches them to be safe on the roads.”

Other schools in the area that received the grant were, Thomas W. Kelly High School, Dexter High School, Bloomfield High School, Richland High School, Risco High School and Gideon High School.

“We are so grateful to be a recipient of the grant,” said Amber Scudder, parent and co-coordinator of Thomas W. Kelly High School project graduation. “In order to make project graduation a success, it takes lots of activities and planning. We feel very strongly seniors need to be educated on a variety of roadway safety concerns as they venture into adulthood. There are so many distractions and opportunities for them to make choices, they need to be educated on how to make the correct ones.”