HOUSTON, Miss. (WTVA)-- State Farm Insurance Company has awarded Houston High School and the Vocational-Technical Center $2,500.00 each as part of the company's Celebrate My Drive Campaign.
The Houston High School senior parking lot is full of vehicles, and students are just learning the rules of the road.
"As teenagers we're not always going to abide by the rules," said student Briona Gordillo. "Some of us, yes we drive safely and the other ones of us, we tend not to. Like with texting and driving. We may text and drive a little bit, but we try our best to drive safely."
"Well, everybody's going to have to drive one day. So, you might as well learn now so you'll be ready to drive when you get older," said Candace Woodhouse, student.
And, that's basically the purpose of a program started by State Farm called Celebrate My Drive.
"Well, they had to cast votes by giong to Celebrate My Drive.com. Like I said, we rallied around that and the community came forth and we celebrated on the 15th with a marquee event," said Amanda Parrish, State Farm Agent.
Statistics show that students and automobiles are traditionally a very problematic mix.
That's why school officials want to put the grant money to good use by teaching kids about driving safely.
"Young drivers aren't aware of all the hazards on the road. We hope to educate them to make them safer. Not only for them, but also for all of us on the road," said Houston High School Principal Buz Boyer.
"Getting that driver's license is a milestone in a teens life," replied Beverly James of the Houston Science and Technology Center. "We want it to be a positive milestone. However, they become independent when they start driving and they have to make those decisions. We want them to make good decisions."
The grants will be handed out Friday night at the Houston High School Football game.
