Coosa TSA  & Act Out Loud Safe Teen Driving Contest

The Coosa High School TSA (GA) chapter is one of 20 finalists in the 2009 ACT OUT LOUD: Raising Voices for Safe Teen Driving contest sponsored by The National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS), a nonprofit coalition of youth led and youth serving national organization that focuses on youth traffic safety and health. As a finalist, the chapter received a grant of $1,000 and a FLIP Video Camera. Coosa TSA will use the $1,000 grant to fund awareness activities planned during the contest. People from across the country will be asked to vote via the world wide web May1 through May 22, 2009 for the best ideas and projects from the 20 finalist schools. The top three will win prizes of $10,000, $5,000 and $3,000 respectively. Voting will take place at www.actoutloud.org.

A team of seven Coosa High students will lead the club’s efforts to promote National Youth Traffic Safety Month during the month of May. The students will sponsor several events between now and the end of the year to promote teen safety awareness at Coosa High and other schools in the area. According to chapter advisor Allen Gossett, the chapter produces several local TV shows and works with Georgia Public Broadcasting on statewide projects. “We have a small one-watt radio station, so we have the ability to easily produce Public Service Announcements. We also recently had students work on four local independent movies, which give us a little edge on the video side of the contest,” Mr. Gossett said. The Coosa group will be assisted by the Allstate Foundation, a sponsor of the program; several public safety agencies in the area; local Representative Barbara Massey Reece, (D) 11th and other students to promote the program. The students will be posting their ideas to a blog on the contest website, as well as sending in pictures and videos of their team projects for the public to keep up with their progress. Mr. Gossett added, “not many members knew how to blog and through this, they learn to blog and upload videos for a good cause. They have learned more about teen safety awareness and peer pressure. They are more aware of the dangers of driving, and they would like to share that knowledge with other teens around the world.” The team captain is Linh Ho, TSA chapter secretary, and a senior and four-year TSA member, CHS TSA President Kyle Hubbard a junior, TSA Reporter Kim Alvarado a sophomore, Jackie Watkins, senior, Coosa High School Announcement Coordinator, TSA members senior Chris King, sophomore Ana Alvarado and freshmen Jasmine Vickers.

According to NOYS, car crashes are the number one killer of teens in the United States. 6,000 youths die annually on our highways across the nation, that’s 16 a day. May is designated as National Youth Safety Month.