Alicia Green, Pulaski, was recently presented with the Nicole Marie Spink Driver Safety Scholarship. Green is a junior at Sandy Creek High School. Presenting the scholarship was Laura Yard and Sandy Creek High School Principal Maureen Shiel. The scholarship was established to honor the memory of Yard’s daughter, Nicole, who was tragically killed in an automobile accident in April 2005. The purpose of the scholarship is to provide an Oswego County junior or senior with a complete course in driver education safety to learn safe driving skills. This award will cover the cost of Green’s 5-hour pre-licensing course, which is mandated by New York State before registering to take the driver’s license road test. Participants in the pre-licensing program must hold a New York State Motor Vehicle Department’s learner permit.
In April 2005 Yard received news that no parent wants to hear. Her only daughter, 19-year-old Nicole Spink, had been killed in a one-car accident. State police investigations indicated that wet roads and unsafe speed were factors in the crash. Her response to that tragedy has been to take steps to help students become safer drivers so that hopefully no other parent will have to go through what she had to on that day in 2005. At the time of Nicole’s accident, no pre-licensing programs were required by NYS and she had never taken driver’s education. “My daughter was not a good driver. She was so busy and involved in different activities between work and friends that she thought she didn’t have time for driver’s ed,†said Yard. She was so busy “she was trying to be in two places at the same time†when the accident occurred that evening. Yard established the Nicole Marie Spink Driver Safety Scholarship in 2005 to honor the memory of her daughter and offer financial assistance to students who needed to take the pre-licensing course. To be considered for the scholarship, students were asked to submit a completed application, a letter of recommendation from their guidance counselor and an essay detailing why they would like to receive the award.
Oswego County BOCES offers both the 5- and 6-hour driving classes on an on-going basis. For information or to register, call 963-4256 or visit the Oswego County BOCES web site at www.OswegoBOCES.org and click on the adult education link.
If you would like to support the Nicole Marie Spink Driver Safety Scholarship fund, contributions may be sent to Oswego County BOCES, c/o Kelly Wood, treasurer, 179 County route 64, Mexico, New York 13114.
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