The NJ Police Chief Magazine Volume 24, Number 7 | Page 20

The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | October 2018 U Got Brains Champions Schools Program The U Got Brains Champions Schools Program is a peer to peer program that empowers high school students to develop teen safe driving campaigns in their schools, communities and beyond. The Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey (BIANJ) has hosted this program for the past nine years, working with over 145 high schools in all 21 counties across the state. Evaluation provided by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute show that the Champions Schools Program is effective in increasing knowledge about safe driving and actually changing teen driving behavior. Students work within groups at their high school under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Participating schools receive a $750 stipend to help implement their campaign. Brainstorming for project ideas and technical support is offered by BIANJ staff during a visit and through follow up contact. Schools are asked to submit a midterm update and a final report which consists of a written and video component. Final projects are judged by a panel of experts and the top three grand prize winners are awarded a driving simulator for their school. Announcement of the grand prize winners take place at Six Flags Great Adventure where over 700 students from participating schools gather to showcase their campaigns. Funding for the Champion Schools Program is provided by the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, and Founding Sponsor NJM Insurance, along with other private and public sponsors. Law enforcement plays an active role in the Champion Schools program as many schools partner with their local departments to help develop and deliver their safety messages. For example, Riverside High School, located in Burlington County, has participated in the Champion Schools Program for the last four years. The faculty advisor to the student team is Ptl. Anthony Cicali, the School Resource Officer for Riverside High School. Their project for the 2017-18 school year, RHS Drives Safe, incorporated a wide-range of safety messages for teen drivers. They partnered with local police to create mock car stops to teach students how to act and respond when being pulled over by the police. Then they did a role reversal where the students got to act like police officers and see what it felt like from an officer’s perspective when they stopped teachers / staff who weren’t listening or not following directions. With the mock car stops the students were put into a live simulation in a safe environment so that they could experience a traffic stop. The Champion Schools Program has been an ongoing community project for them. The Riverside Township Police Department promoted the program on the township electronic boards and posted on their blog and shared their PSA video. The impact of the program can be seen in the reduction of local crashes. In 2014, Riverside Twp. had 123 reported traffic crashes. Since joining the Champion Schools Program in 2015, the community has seen an overall decline in crashes every year. In 2015 there were 108 crashes, in 2016 there were 99 crashes and there were 105 crashes in 2017. Riverside Township police are projecting safer roads in Riverside and less traffic crashes as they continue to educate their students. New drivers will be able to take their knowledge and help promote safe driving as they develop into leaders in Riverside. Each school makes an impact within their town and often beyond. The U Got Brains Champion Schools Program is a wonderful opportunity to engage law enforcement in a positive community program. Applications are currently being accepted for the 2018-2019 school year. To learn more, visit https://jerseydrives.com/champion-schools-program/ or contact Wendy Berk at [email protected] or 732-745-0200. 19