Coosa High TSA students watch as Governor Sonny Perdue signs a proclamation for Teen Safe Driving Summer. The Coosa High School Technology Student Association (TSA), as a finalist as one (1) of twenty (20) schools from across the nation to participate in the “ACT OUT LOUD: Raising Voices for Safe Teen Driving” from The National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS), a nonprofit coalition of youth led and youth serving national organizations that focus on youth traffic safety and health, recently visited Atlanta with Representative Barbara Massey Reece (D) 11th , to watch as Governor Sonny Perdue signed a Proclamation for Teen Safe Driving Summer. The proclamation encourages teens to drive responsibly and be extra careful during the summer when automobile accidents increase, especially with the Fourth of July Holiday approaching.

The Coosa students will help promote National Youth Traffic Safety Summer. Joining Representative Reece at the Capitol were Jasmine Vickers, Kirstie Godfrey, and Tiffany Blanton. The students helped to promote Teen Safety Awareness Month back in May at the school and other schools in the area with the help of the Allstate Foundation and Mike Britton, a local Allstate Agent,  a sponsor of the program. Representative Reece also presented a House of Representatives Resolution to the students at the Senior Awards night on May 14th. More information about National Youth Traffic Safety can be found at www.ActoOutLoud.org. or www.noys.org

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 Sixteen (16) a day. The summer is a high risk time for teens while participating in summer activities.

Steps youth can take to be safe on the roads include:

• Wearing a safety belt – EVERY TIME
• Driving at or below the speed limit
• Limiting the number of passengers in their car
• Pulling over if they need to make a call or text a friend
• Avoiding drowsy driving by getting enough rest
• NEVER getting in a car with ANYONE who has been drinking alcohol

The Coosa High School Technology Student Association (TSA) is a local CAP school chapter of the Georgia Technology Student Association. The Georgia TSA is one of the largest TSA State organizations in the country with over 10,000 members from across the state. The Coosa High School TSA is an active chapter that participates in several projects throughout year to promote engineering and technology education at the high school, the community, and the state. The chapter currently is partnering with Shorter College Athletics to produce a TV show for Shorter College Athletics that airs both locally and regionally. Students also perform work-based learning with Georgia Public Broadcasting at the Georgia High School Football and Basketball Championships each year. They also produce a TV program called Coosa Valley Veterans that is airing in on local channels. Students also work with local businesses such as Printworks that give students work-based learning opportunities in graphic designs and printing. The chapter also participates in several other local projects to support engineering technology.

Kirstie Godfrey, TSA Reporter
Coach Gossett, TSA Advisor (agossett@floydboe.net)