Schools

Danbury Slips to Third in Safe Driving Contest

Only hours left to help Danbury High School win a $100,000 contest. Vote here. www.votedanbury.com.

Danbury High School fell to third in the Celebrate My Ride contest Saturday morning, a contest that will bring the top high school $100,000 and a Kelly Clarkson contest. Voting ends tonight.

To take back the top spot, Danbury supporters must out-vote two high schools from Lebanon, Tennessee. To vote for Danbury High School, visit www.votedanbury.com and make a commitment to safe driving.

Danbury High School Principal Gary Boccaccio said Thursday that while the contest and winning is very important, the message of the contest (safe driving) is more important.

"They're working so hard on this because of their experiences," Boccaccio said. Danbury High School has lost two students in the last two years in automobile crashes and students still attending have survived bad accidents.

The school's elected student leaders, called the Board of Governors, the Peer Leadership group and the DECA marketing club have been leading the effort to win the contest. The online contest is sponsored by State Farm, and people who vote give State Farm their email address, so the contest isn't without its detractors. Other supporters include Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton.

Let's hear some of the debate from comments filed on the first Patch story, Celebrate My Ride.

g October 19, 2013 at 04:11 PM. So far, 3 calls from the City of Danbury and 2 from the school district for my family to come down and sign up for this. I may ask to be disenrolled from their stupid telephone alert system if this keeps up. Every time someone in City Hall sneezes, it seems we get a call about it.

Linda Anne Queiroz 
October 24, 2013 at 12:24 PM. Isn't a potential prize of $100,000.00 to Danbury Public Schools worth the effort? Or would you prefer it come out in increased taxes?

g October 24, 2013 at 01:40 PM. Linda, If the Danbury district didn't budget for this $100,000, then there is no change in taxes. If the district budgeted betting on a win of a contest, they are as foolish as I suspect. Do you know, $100,000 is insignificant compared to the Danbury district budget? How much effort, time and energy is being wasted on this effort? Are any of the people working on this contest compensated? If so, and if the school doesn't win, guess who gets to pay the extra costs of yet another failure in the Danbury school district?

Norma October 25, 2013 at 04:22 PMI answered a call at work today. It was a robo-call, not even Mayor Mark; it was a computer generated voice, asking me to "vote" on this. It's a great cause, but is this how our tax dollars should be spent?? I also have better things to do at work than answer these calls.

lisa_frese October 26, 2013 at 09:42 AMFirst of all there is not a dollar being spent on votedanbury.com it is a student led, teacher supported program to increase the awareness of the dangers of texting and driving the #1 killer of people 15-24 years old. The students have come together and are trying to increase the awareness, the voting is a commitment to drive safe, is that really too much to ask of the community via a free robo call?


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