HIGH POINT, N.C., Aug. 31, 2011 – Strategic communication students in High Point University’s Norcross Graduate School spent their summer reaching out to five local high schools to create and implement campaigns about a topic that’s important to deliver to teenagers – safe driving awareness.
Dr. Virginia McDermott, assistant professor of strategic communication, received a $25,000 Think Big grant from High Point University to fund the project in her graduate classes. The Think Big grants are funded annually by the university to professors with innovative projects designed to inspire learning.
“I wanted my students to get experience outside of the classroom by addressing a community problem with a community solution,” McDermott says.
HPU students teamed up with high school students from High Point Central High School, T. Wingate Andrews High School, Southwest Guilford High School, High Point Christian Academy and Wesleyan Christian Academy to create promotional posters, commercials and educational videos that display the importance of safe driving habits. The videos include statistics about unsafe driving practices, such as drinking and driving and texting while driving, as well as personal testimonies.
The campaigns, which are tailored individually to each school, will be implemented Oct. 17-21, also known as National Teen Driver Safety Week. A kick-off event will be held on the High Point University campus on Oct. 14.
“During that week, the videos will be shown in classes at the schools, and the posters will be displayed around their campuses,” McDermott says. “This is a great way to prepare young drivers with the knowledge of safe driving habits so they can keep themselves and others safe on the road.”
The Think Big grant funds were used to compensate high school students who worked on the campaigns, as well as to create the promotional materials.
At High Point University, every student receives an extraordinary education in an inspiring environment with caring people.℠ HPU, located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, is a liberal arts institution with over 4,200 undergraduate and graduate students from 51 countries and 46 states at campuses in High Point and Winston-Salem. It is ranked by US News and World Report at No. 3 among Regional Colleges in the South. Forbes.com ranks HPU in the top 7 percent among “America’s Best Colleges.” Parade Magazine lists HPU in the top 25 private schools in the nation. The university offers 50 undergraduate majors, 43 undergraduate minors and 14 graduate degree programs. It is accredited by the Commission of Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and is a member of the NCAA, Division I and the Big South Conference. Visit High Point University on the Web at highpoint.edu.
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Pam Haynes
Communication Specialist
336-841-9055
[email protected]