El Modena High School Wins
$100,000 Grant from State Farm®

ORANGE, CA — December 8, 2015 – Orange Unified School District would like to congratulate El Modena High School for winning a $100,000 grant from the Celebrate My Drive program sponsored by State Farm Insurance.  In a school-wide assembly on Monday, December 7, 2015, State Farm officially presented a check to El Modena High School. The school was selected for their video created by student Isabel Loeper from among 100 finalists, chosen from 681 high school submissions, competing to win one of twenty-two $100,000 grants and a private concert by acclaimed indie-pop siblings Echosmith. Winners were chosen from among the 100 finalists by public voting held from Nov. 9 to Nov. 13. The finalists, together with their communities, generated nearly 440,000 total votes in support of their submissions.

To compete for the grant through the Celebrate My Drive program, high schools submitted creative videos or photos and proposals designed to address teen driver safety issues in their communities, describing how they support Drive 2N2®. State Farm supports teen driver safety by promoting Drive 2N2®: 2 eyes on the road, 2 hands on the wheel. This habit helps reduce distracted driving and gives new drivers confidence on the road at the same time. Car crashes are the number one killer of teens, with the first year of driving being the most dangerous. So Drive 2N2® was created in an effort to combat this epidemic and raise awareness around the importance of teen driver safety. To encourage strong teen safe-driving conversations, 22% of the grant El Modena High School receives must support or initiate a teen driver safety effort. 

Upon receiving the award, principal Dr. Dustin Saxton stated, "I'm very proud of our school family-- especially how they all came together to make this possible.  Our student body possesses an abundant amount of talent and I'm pleased to see them recognized for their efforts.  It truly took our entire community to win this award.  We are planning on consulting with a student committee to decide how to use the money to benefit the most students."

Local State Farm agents, including Ron Esparza, Adam Guss and Sandra Garcia in Orange, CA, participated in teen driving safety efforts across the U.S., emphasizing the benefits of safe choices as teens celebrate the freedom that comes with getting a driver’s license. State Farm recognizes that learning to drive is an important and joyous occasion in the life of teens. Learn more about the initiative at www.celebratemydrive.com.

Please click on a thumbnail for the full-size image.