Students and Highway Safety staff participated in the 2007 Team Spirit Reunion, themed Taking it to the Extreme. The reunion, which took place on April 23-24 in Jefferson City, brought together high school students who attended last July’s week-long Team Spirit Training session. The training educates students about different highway safety programs for high school students and trains them on ways to implement those programs in their schools.

The teams from different schools talked about the traffic safety programs implemented in their schools, how they got students to participate and the success of their programs. In particular, the Brag ‘N Steal session allowed students to showcase their accomplishments through a display. The team with the most creative efforts received a trophy and cash prize.

“The reunion was very successful. It helps keep students motivated about Team Spirit and it gives us a way to learn about what programs are working and which ones aren’t,” said Adrian Hendricks, state youth coordinator for Highway Safety. “Part of the reunion activities included discussions about current legislation and, because of the push for primary safety belt legislation, we discussed it and offered an opportunity for the students to speak with their legislators.”

A fun portion of the conference featured extreme games, keeping with the theme. Other reunion events included a speaker, idea forums, an award presentation, a trip to the capitol and more.

“This is my first year working with Team Spirit participants and I am really enjoying discovering what it’s all about and meeting the young leaders,” Hendricks said.