C.C. Winn High School Wins First Place in State for Teens in the Drivers Seat Program

(Press Release) Eagle Pass C. C. Winn High School won first place in the State of Texas with its Teens in the Drivers Seat Program (TDS0 at the TDS Convention held during May , 2016 in Grapevine, Texas, earning the prestigious TDS Cup, announced Jesus Diaz-Wever, Principal of C. C. Winn High School. “We are extremely proud of our students, faculty, and staff for winning the state championship for developing and presenting the best Teens in the Drivers Seat Program in Texas,” said Diaz-Wever.

C.C. Winn High School students in the Teens in the Driver Seat Program produced a public service announcement video together with the City of Eagle Pass Police Department to educate young teen drivers and students about the dangers of driving as well as safety tips on driving which was recognized as the best in the state. The Winn Teens in the Drivers Seat public service announcement video will be aired throughout the State of Texas, and is now airing in the Eagle Pass Independent School District’s I-Vision Channel (Channel 16).

C.C. Winn High School was awarded a $1,500 Cash Prize for its first place championship finish and each student received a Certificate of Recognition. C.C. Winn High School has participated in the Teens in the Driver Seat Program almost four years now under the sponsorship of the Winn Student Council. Faculty sponsors of the Winn Student Council’s Teens in the Drivers Seat Program are Dionni Olivares-Wueste and Rey Rocha.

With prom just around the corner, C.C. Winn High School is preparing yet another project to promote safe driving and how to be a safe passenger in a car. The Winn Student Council members have displayed posters and banners across the cafeteria walls, and plan to finish out the week with a senior assembly to show the graduates a drunk driving public service announcement they produced with the Eagle Pass Police Department, and hand out safety tips about parties, which they can use in these next few weeks of celebrations.

The Winn Student Council has been working diligently with the Teens in the Driver Seat (TDS) Program for approximately four years now, which started in 2002. TDS has been able to reach schools across the state, merely by targeting the student voice. This is the first peer-to-peer program for teens that focuses solely on traffic safety and addresses all major risks for this age group.

Former Winn Student Council President Manuel Munoz was the first Winn Student Council representative to serve on the Teen Advisory Board for the state of Texas. His short term in 2012-2013 helped to pave the way for current StuCo officer Pablo Garcia to serve two consecutive terms on the state board (2015-2017). It is leadership and commitment demonstrated by these young men that help to steer their peers in the right direction of making safer choices for themselves and others around them.

C.C. Winn Student Council Teen in the Drivers Seat Program Committee Chairman Miguel Maldonado and Co-Chairman Pablo Garcia attended the 2016 TDS Summit in Grapevine, Tx with sponsors Dionni Olivares-Wueste and Rey Rocha to represent the school at the advisory meeting and the awards ceremony . Students and advisors from around the state, and several states outside of Texas, came together to celebrate in “keeping our drive alive”.

C.C. Winn representatives were able to participate in various driving simulations that included “drunk” goggles, pedal cars, 18-wheelers and roll-over demonstrations. Guest speakers brought tears to listeners’ eyes as they heard first-hand experiences about losing loved ones due to drunk driving, speeding, and sometimes just being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Winn Student Council is merely one out of one thousand schools that have implemented the Teens in the Driver Seat program. It has become their goal to help educate and motivate the entire school district, and the City of Eagle Pass, about the five main dangers and risks of driving.

Car crashes kill more young people than any other cause, accounting for nearly half of all teen deaths in America each year. Texas has taken great strides in saving teen lives, and C.C. Winn is proud to be a part of the solution. Let’s continue to keep Eagle Pass from being a statistic.