Three Forks FCCLA

"We chose to address teen traffic safety because it directly impacts our students, families, and community. In rural Montana, many of our students drive long distances on high-speed highways and in challenging weather conditions, increasing their risk of crashes. As student leaders, we believe prevention begins with awareness and consistent reminders. By creating a visible, student-designed bus wrap, we can promote safe driving habits every day while empowering students to take ownership of the message. This project allows us to combine leadership, creativity, and community involvement to make traffic safety a shared and ongoing priority.

The goal of our project is to increase teen traffic safety awareness in our school and community while engaging students to lead change through the FCCLA Families Acting for Community Traffic Safety (FACTS) National Program. The bus wrap will serve as a long-term visual reminder of safe driving, visible throughout the community and state for several years. We also promoted and evaluated our project by student participation in the contest to design the bus wrap, four students worked on the wrap proposal that won the competition. Once the students had their design, we worked with the design team at SCS Signs to make the design fit in our budget and still get the message of "Safe Driving Protects the Pack" as the main part of the design."

Power FCCLA

"We chose to address this issue because traffic safety affects students, families, and emergency responders every day. The school zone signs near Power School were faded and outdated, making them difficult for drivers to see and reducing awareness where students cross. Clear signage is one of the most effective ways to slow traffic and prevent injuries. We also recognized that the firehall had never had an identifying sign, limiting visibility for drivers when emergency vehicles enter the roadway. As students who live and travel here daily, we felt responsible for improving safety, protecting children, and supporting our volunteer firefighters.

Our primary goal was to improve traffic safety and visibility in the Power community by March 1, 2026. To accomplish this, we set the objective of replacing outdated school zone signage, including speed limit, “Slow School,” and student crossing signs, in partnership with the Teton County Road Department. We aimed to increase driver awareness and create clearly marked crossing areas for students.

A second objective was to design and install the first-ever identifying sign on the Power fire hall. Students collaborated directly with volunteer firefighters to create a sign that represents community pride while improving visibility for drivers near the station.

Another goal was to educate both drivers and students about safe behaviors in school crossing areas. We created and shared an engaging safety video featuring our students and FCCLA member, "Safety Sam” to demonstrate proper driving and pedestrian practices."

Beaverhead County FCCLA

"Our Traffic Safety and Education Project was developed to address growing safety concerns within our rural Montana school community, particularly because a state highway runs directly through our campus. With many young and inexperienced drivers, increased traffic during school hours, and limited signage in parking areas, we recognized the need for both education and preventative safety measures.

One of our major activities was hosting a school-wide Traffic Safety Gym Day. This event brought together community partners including the Dillon Police Department, the 406 Coalition, and Beaverhead Ambulance. These agencies provided hands-on demonstrations, educational presentations, and real-world insight into the consequences of unsafe driving. Students learned about impaired driving prevention, seatbelt safety, distracted driving, and emergency response procedures.

We also conducted seatbelt checks in the school parking lot to reinforce the importance of buckling up. Students observed wearing seatbelts were rewarded with safe driving prizes, creating positive reinforcement for responsible behavior. Incentives included wristbands that read “Beaver Safe, Not Sorry” and lanyards with the message “Gnaw Your Limits,” helping to build a culture of safety and school pride.

Additional project activities included evaluating campus traffic flow, identifying areas lacking proper signage, and discussing potential improvements to increase visibility and reduce confusion in parking areas. Educational materials were shared throughout the school to raise awareness about rural driving hazards such as wildlife crossings, winter road conditions, and highway-speed traffic near school zones.

Through education, community partnership, and student engagement, this project worked to reduce risky driving behaviors, promote seatbelt use, and improve overall traffic safety awareness on our campus and in the surrounding rural community.

Roundup FCCLA

Our project’s first phase was implemented as a one-day, school-wide assembly designed to educate students about the dangers of impaired, distracted, and drowsy driving. All grade levels participated throughout the day, with each class attending during a designated class period. We began with seniors during first period and continued sequentially until seventh graders participated during seventh period. Fourth period was used as a reflection and adjustment time to review feedback from the first three sessions and make improvements to ensure the remainder of the day ran smoothly.

Each assembly opened with a powerful 10-minute introduction that included a slideshow and personal story shared by one of our staff members. The presentation highlighted the tragic loss of their niece from Texas, who was killed in December 2025 after being struck by a drunk driver. To further emphasize the real-life consequences of impaired driving, we showed images of her vehicle as well as another student’s truck involved in a fatal drunk driving incident. This emotional and personal introduction helped students understand that impaired driving is not just a statistic but a devastating reality that affects families and communities.

Following the introduction, students rotated through nine interactive stations, spending approximately five minutes at each. These stations were designed to simulate the effects of alcohol impairment, drug use, and distraction using various impairment goggles and hands-on activities. The stations allowed students to experience firsthand how reaction time, coordination, and judgment are negatively impacted while impaired or fatigued.

This project was made possible through strong partnerships and collaboration. We partnered with Montana Department of Transportation, all three branches of our school’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) department, which helped design and manage several of the interactive stations. Our local police department also played a key role by providing expertise, real-world insight, and support throughout the event. In addition, the success of the assembly relied heavily on the cooperation and dedication of the entire staff at Roundup High School. Teachers, administrators, and support staff worked together to supervise students, manage transitions, and ensure each class period ran efficiently.