Newport Harbor senior’s fight wins an award
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Deirdre Newman
UCI CAMPUS -- A Newport Harbor High School senior who saw a gaping
void in the campus’s drunk driving prevention and filled it by founding a
chapter of Students Against Drunk Driving scored a $1,000 scholarship on
Thursday.
Carly Geehr was one of five semifinalists who competed in the final
round of the Hitachi Safety Scholarship Competition
at UC Irvine.
Part of her presentation showed how students’ attitudes about drinking
and driving had changed as a result of her efforts.
“Any recognition students can get is a step toward fulfilling our
mission,” Carly said. “And any extra money is good for college.”
When Carly came to Newport Harbor High School as a new student her
sophomore year, a student was killed in a drunk driving accident. Carly
waited for someone at the school to take some action to help prevent a
similar tragedy from occurring.
No one did.
So the following year, Carly -- feeling more confident in her
surroundings -- took the initiative and founded a chapter of Students
Against Drunk Driving.
“Carly herself has really taken a leadership role at the school,” said
Kelly Bourgeois, the school’s activities director. “She’s just real
passionate.”
Carly also is a top swimmer for the Sailors, having been named a
Scholastic All-American and was on the U.S. Junior Pan American team.
During her presentation, Carly pointed out some of the steps the SADD
chapter uses to accomplish its mission. Foremost is spreading the word
throughout the Newport Harbor High School community about the perils of
drunk driving, such as holding a Grim Reaper Day.
And this year the chapter is starting a new concept -- offering a $500
scholarship to the student who writes the best essay on how one person’s
decision can affect others.
Carly was able to prove the success of drunk-driving prevention on
campus through a survey where 71% of students said SADD had increased
their awareness of the consequences of the act.
One of the judges, Kevin Cowell of the Tustin Police Department, said
he was impressed with Carly’s tenacity.
“She has done a great job of making people aware,” Cowell said. “I’d
like to see her successful in whatever she is doing.”
And Carly’s mom, J.T., said she is extremely proud of her daughter’s
passion for helping others avoid the fatal repercussions of drinking and
driving.
“She showed a lot of guts and strength of character and resolve. It’s
nice to see her get some recognition and reward for that,” J.T. said.
The winner of the competition, Margaux Thomas of Laguna Beach won a
$5,000 scholarship.
* Deirdre Newman covers education. She may be reached at (949)
574-4221 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .
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