It is Laura Yard’s hope that another family never experiences a loss similar to her own, the death of a child in an automobile accident. So motivated and wishing to honor the memory of her late daughter, she started a fund to award annual scholarships to Oswego County students for a “complete course in driver education and safety.” In the inaugural year of the award, Laura Yard recently presented one of two 2006 Nicole Marie Spink Driver Safety Scholarship certificates to 16-year-old Shane Gabriele of Phoenix. The other scholarship winner is Esperanza Morgan-Barrot of Fulton.
Students applying for a scholarship were required to submit an essay on the reason why they felt it was important to attend driver education classes, along with a letter of recommendation from their guidance councilor. A five-person selection committee chose the winning essays.
In his essay, Shane noted that he had played on the Phoenix High School Varsity Basketball team with the late Joseph Bregg III, 16, of Phoenix. He recounted how the death of Bregg in a December 2005 automobile accident had affected the students and parents in his community. In concluding his essay, Shane stated, “If we could provide Driver’s Education to all students, we would see a decline in accidents and deaths among our peers.”
Shane was one of approximately 300 students who recently completed Oswego County BOCES’ summer driver education program. One of the largest of its kind in the region, it featured a six-week, 48-hour course, with 24 hours of on-road experience and 24 hours of classroom instruction. Guest speakers included police, fire rescue and Stop DWI personnel, and insurance agents. The program operated at sites in Central Square, Fulton, Mexico, Oswego, and Pulaski. During the upcoming school year, BOCES will operate driver education programs in Fulton, Hannibal, Mexico, and Oswego.
Laura Yard, right, presents a 2006 Nicole Marie Spink Driver Safety Scholarship certificate to 16-year-old Shane Gabriele of Phoenix.