Thomas County Middle School seventh-graders Emma Reeves and Annalise Youngblood, along with their teacher Kendra Reeves, were named Grand Prize state winners of the “Heads Up, Stay Safe!” contest that speaks out against distracted driving.

The Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) joined with Scholastic, the global children’s education company, on a campaign to educate the next generation of drivers. Developed for middle school students across the state, the “Recognizing the Risk” initiative gives students, teachers, and parents resources to address distracted driving and walking.

Because of the collaboration, Georgia teachers like Reeves provided their students with a number of classroom activities focused on promoting pedestrian and driver safety by discussing the hazards of texting, headphones and more. The program enables teachers, students and parents alike to engage in a wide range of collaborative discussions about real-world scenarios to foster responsible and safe alternatives to risky behaviors.

For the contest, students had the opportunity to work in teams to create a public-service-type magazine about distracted driving and walking, and a panel of judges scored the entries on writing, use of data and creativity. Reeves’ and Youngblood’s project was entitled “Stop for Pedestrians.”

The program builds upon Georgia DOT’s existing Drive Alert, Arrive Alive, and See and Be Seen campaigns.

The Grand Prize winning team of Reeves and Youngblood won a plaque, a certificate of recognition and a $150 gift card to split between them. Teacher Kendra Reeves, who submitted the team’s entry, received a $100 gift card. The winners’ names were also mentioned in the Spring 2022 Georgia Milepost Magazine published by the Georgia DOT.