Houssam Eddine Hariri High School

1. HoussamEddine Hariri High School ON THE ROAD 2014

2. Overview • This year’s Committee • Previous Events • Planning • Awareness • Activities • Our Actions (educational &physical)

3. This Year’s HoussamEddine Hariri Road Safety Committee • Consists of Grades 10, 11, and 12. • Has one goal: To spread awareness and hopefully make a change to this growing problem in our surrounding community • P.S.: This isn’t the first year we participate in this project. We American System students have participated for two consecutive years. That’s why the focus this year will be different, especially we are the same road safety team…

4. Our previous events: Awareness Stage (during the past two years) • Staged car accident • Interview with a victim • Presentation • Activity to simulate drunkenness • Presentation remembering victims killed • Candlelit and prayers for victims • Multiple fund raising activities.

5. This Year’s Experience: Brainstorming and Planning Every Saturday the road safety committee works together for a solid hour and a half discussing and planning activities and events to spread awareness for road safety issueand try to find a feasible solution to a surrounding road safety issue.

6. Planning this years’ project • Highlighting our previous events, including the unsuccessful ones (during the past two years) • Researching and creating mind maps of first findings: Road Safety Types and issues (though done during the past two years). • Researching: people who faced car accidents in the community, including celebrities. • Planning Activities • Researching : issues in the surrounding community to increase road safety in our neighborhood • Planning activities to raise funding for our drafted actions

7. More Research and Assignments • Celebrity Photo Gallery The first assignment that the road Safety Committee has put together is titled “Celebrity Car Crashes.” It is comprised of an array of celebrities who tragically lost their lives due to motor vehicle accidents, careless driving, and stunt racing. Each pair of students put together a photo of their assigned celebrity, along with their date of birth, date of death, miniature biography, and a quote they were known for. The purpose of this activity is to reinforce the notion that nobody can escape the tragic consequences of reckless driving. The pictures and information were printed and posted in the hallway. • P.S. This assignment was modified and students just wrote about their findings in the journal copy books. They shared ideas during committee meeting-the same assignment was done last year and students shared findings with all High school students. That’s why we decided to exert effort on new activities.

8. New Activities

9. Activity 1: Spreading Awareness and Raising Funds Adha Dinner (Muslim’s occasion). Our Goals: Goal 1: Commemorating Eid Adha Goal 2: Road safety Awareness: presentation by committee. raising funds for other events. P.S. At this stage, we were at awareness level. We knew from the beginning that we have to take an action at the end; however, we were still thinking of what type of action, taking into consideration our abilities, age, etc…That’s why we decided that we need to raise funds from different activities we designed.

10. Eid Adha Dinner Article (was published on school website) • Eid Al Adha DinnerThe Road Safety Committee students would like to wish all staff and students at our school a Happy Eid and a prosperous year ahead. To celebrate Eid Al Adha in style, the Road Safety students put together Eid dinner on Saturday October 12th, 2013. Staff and students who attended the dinner enjoyed delicious food, fun company, vigorous dancing, entertaining games and exquisite prizes. After selling tickets for one week, our committee was able to successfully raise the money that funded the dinner as well as future events to be held. We would like to thank all the staff and students who took part in this event, and we hope to see you at future events.Sincerely, Road Safety Committee

11. Eid Adha Dinner Pictures

12. Eid Adha Dinner Pictures

13. Eid Adha Dinner Pictures

14. Activity 2: Awareness and Pleasure The Road Safety Committee along with the 10B class enjoyed an afternoon activity filled with pleasure as they sat behind the wheel of the go-Karts. The Road Safety Committee decided to coordinate this particular expedition in order to examine the appropriate driving habits of students. Various safety signs were put in place at various points throughout the course. We saw a large number of students that did not fully stop at the stop sign and failed to yield when pedestrians were crossing the road. 

15. Kart Racing Observation(was published on School Website) • On January 18th, 2014, the Road Safety Committee along with the 10B class enjoyed an afternoon filled with pleasure as they sat behind the wheel of the go-Karts. The Road Safety Committee decided to coordinate this particular expedition in order to view the appropriate driving habits of students. In total, the students were allotted 10 laps around the racing course. During the first six laps, students were allowed to drive at their own free will with no limitations or rules. During the last 4, however, various safety signs were put in place at various points throughout the course. We saw a large number of students that did not fully stop at the stop sign, and failed to yield when pedestrians were crossing the road. The purpose of this exercise was to monitor the drivers’ behaviors, driving habits, and reaction of students when they are expected to follow specific driving regulations. With all the photos and videos gathered by the members of the Road Safety Committee, they will be reviewing and analyzing their archives in order to create a documentary regarding driving habits amongst youth in Lebanon.

16. Kart Racing Observation

17. Activity 3: Raising More Funds and Decreasing Possibility of Car Accidents After a night of rain and dirt, our teachers’ cars were left filthy. Driving around with a dirty windshield is very distracting, so we got an idea to hold a car wash.

18. Car Wash Article(Was published on School Website) Car Wash • To enhance the concepts of team work, collaboration, and tolerance, Community Service and Road Safety Committees from the American System Classes ran a successful car wash fund raising performance on Saturday, March 22.“It was crazy… in a positive way!” Daniella (10C) excitedly commented. According to Yasmine Othman (10C), this activity “made us come together as one bond…” She paused and added, “For the first time since the school year, it didn’t matter who was cool and who was nerdy… We were all united for the success of one mission…” Though this job wasn’t easy, it was worth the effort that students exerted! Most students reflected that such an experience taught them how to wash a car in the first place, how to be more organized, and how to work as a cooperative team.

19. Our Actions The Karting activity along with the ongoing research helped us realize that schools should take an action. We thought: “If we can’t change it, at least we can help decrease it.” Thus, we came up with action 1. Action 1: • Educational : Integrating Road Safety Education into school Curriculum

20. Our Petition to School Principal and Parents A petition to Parents, Students, Makassed Board of Directors and the Road Safety Community to authorize and implement driving lessons for grade 11 students at the MakassedHoussamEddine Hariri High School Campus. We submit this petition to Mrs. HanadiJardalyKotob on Saturday 29th March 2014. HoussamHariri High School-Road Safety Committee Authorize Driving lessons on school campus Individuals below the legal driving age 18 are going onto the roads; this is causing frequent problems whether with parents or the law, including accidents which are putting their parents/guardians into serious trouble. Due to the lack of reputable know-how to drive, past research results have displayed that 80% of HHHS students are putting themselves into risky situations, and for the past decade or two, this has become an incredibly difficult criteria of life to control, the underage driving. The best and foremost guaranteed is to go with the force, but train it. We can begin to teach pre-prep and middle school students the driving ethics, and integrate the street rules with the help of PYP program. The results will be if members of the municipality driving school teach grade 11 students the basics of driving, help them apply the previously learnt knowledge and certify them with a “Learners Permit” which authorizes them to drive under the direct supervision of an adult/guardian of 18+ years of age and licensed, control of over this situation will begin to be reinforced. Driving has proven to be a lifelong lesson, and nowadays it is like the gift of entering young adult hood. Engaging into it at an early time is the parents’ responsibility to manage; things get out of hand when the student tries to take things into his/her own hands. Accidents happen and trouble breaks out. We believe the only ideal thing to do is to train them, not change them nor convince them to stop, either way they will end up driving. An obstacle will be very weak in front of an inconvincible force. Various countries such as USA, South Africa, Canada, France, and Madagascar follow such a program. Students are given driving lessons on the school’s campus at additional fees, and this is considered as a regular life lesson. The school issues students who have successfully completed the courses with a learner’s permit with authorization from the municipality. As a private school, HoussamEddine Hariri High School is authorized to execute and put this petition into effect with no government signatories. Agreements from the Road Safety Committee, Student Council, and the Makassed Board of Directors will validate, and put this into immediate effect. Incase however HHHS is unable to take official action regarding as it could require political regulations among others, the theoretical driving education can be applied. MalekWehbi Road Safety Committee member SC Secretary

21. Our Actions Action 2: • Physical Action: After deep thinking, we decided to take action in our community. • Target: fixing a traffic junction next to our school (Car drivers usually don’t know which path to take.. Thus, they might either cause traffic jam, or cars coming from opposite directions might bump into each other.)

22. Our problem early in the morning.. Kids’ Arrival The bus and the car might bump into each other… It isn’t one way. However, drivers think so because road isn’t designed well.

23. Cars move in all directions, thus causing traffic jam. Sometimes cars might bump into each other Our Action (physical) • Step 1: Examining the spot. Trying to find a solution Our Target

24. Physical Action Step 2: • Visiting the head of municipality of Bkosta, Sharhabilto convince him of our plan.

25. Physical Action

26. Physical Action

27. Our Action (physical) Step 3: Realizing we need more funds.. HOW? By planning a Basketball Game at School

28. Activity Basketball Game: Teachers VS Students : Fund Raise We found out that we need more money to fix the road issue next to our school, so we organized this game.

29. Our Action Our Contributions • Step 4: • Convincing Head of Municipality to change shape of the spot to fix issue surrounding our school community • Offering some of the funds we raised

30. Our Action (physical) Changing its shape to prevent drivers from taking the path they want … This part is dug This part will be longer to prevent car drivers coming from different directions to bump into each other

31. After the action we took, car drivers no more go in the direction they want. They are obliged to take direction designed by municipality… This part becomes longer; consequently, we were able to prevent car drivers from going in the direction they want… We even planted flowers …

34. The space here is too narrow to prevent car drivers to pass-contrary to previous situations. Check slides 12 and 13 to see previous situation. Slide 12 Slide 13 NOW-After Our initiative

35. Before our initiative NOW.. Before we took our action, car drivers used to move from this direction. They used to face cars coming from opposite direction. Check slide 12. After the initiative we took, car drivers are obliged now to take the appropriate path..

36. Now.. After this part was added and made longer, the truck driver is obliged to take the path you see (his right) Before Our Action Such truck drivers might move in the middle of the road .

37. Integration of Art • Sample of our Road Safety Comic Strips

40. Special Thanks Special thanks to the teachers who supported us through out the past years: • Mrs. Huda Kaeen • Mrs.AreejSayah • Ms.NihmatDandashli Special thanks to the Head of Municipality of Bkosta-Sharhabil, Saida