If the excitement of the final day of school wasn’t enough, Arlee students Anthony Felix and Kaylene Adams got a second boost and welcome surprise when each was presented with a check and framed certificate for their winning Safe On All Roads radio spot scripts.

Students from all Montana reservation schools were called to submit 30- 60 second radio spots that told, from a students perspective, why it’s unwise and unsafe to drive drunk or distracted.

The contest focused on major areas like not drinking and driving, not riding with a drunk driver, buckling up and putting down cell phones while driving, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Health Educator/Fitness director Margene Asay said. The goal was to get kids talking to kids, Asay said. Asay visited several Flathead Reservation schools to spread the word about the contest last fall.

Adams was awarded first place for her submission, which focuses on the need of youth to listen to their elders. “Our elders and parents always tell us that alcohol and drugs are no good for us,” her script says. “Sometimes we listen, but mostly we don’t seem to.”

Adams said her dad helped her remember the incident several years ago that took the lives of two Ronan 11-year-olds who froze to death after they had been drinking.

 Adams’ submission ends with another call for kids to listen to the wisdom of tribal leaders: “So my message is that, it is a good time to open our ears and listen more closely to the words that (the elders) speak for our own good and the good of others.”

The students’ scripts were submitted to the Montana Department of Transportation in November.

“I forgot all about it,”  Adams said after Asay presented her with the $250 check and certificate. “It was a good way to start the summer.”

Adams is going to spend some of the money on clothes for the upcoming school year. She’ll start the summer looking for a job to save a little more money, she said.

“Mine was pretty much based on a true story,” Felix said of his script.

Felix, who was awarded third place, graduated from Arlee High School on May 31, but based his spot on a drunk driving accident that took his friend Matt’s chance at reaching the same goal.

“We were at a party and Matt was getting drunk and I was the designated driver for the evening. When we were getting ready to leave in the car, Matt happened to drive off without me,” Felix’s script says.

As he walked home, Felix noticed an ambulance drive by. The next day, he was told Matt had died in a drunk driving accident.

“I learned from the loss of my friend Matt that life is too short and that a person needs to live their life to the fullest and that beer and drugs are not the way to go,” the script says.

“That’s pretty much why I don’t party now,” Felix said after he got his award.

Off the top of his head, Felix said he will use his $125 check for energy drinks and minutes on his cell phone. He’s going to try to become a firefighter this summer. If that doesn’t work out, he’ll get a job, save some money and head East, he said.

Asay arranged for the two winners to have their spots taped at a local radio station this week. She said she hopes they’ll begin playing on local radio in a couple weeks.

The students’ full scripts are posted with the story on www.leaderadvertiser.com.

Safe on All Roads scripts:

Anthony Felix:

Hi, my name is Anthony and I had a friend Matt who died while drinking alcohol and driving. We were at a party and Matt was getting drunk and I was the designated driver for the evening. When we were getting ready to leave in the car, Matt happened to drive off without me. While I was walking home I saw an ambulance drive by. The next day I did not see Matt at school. After school I went to his house and his parents ere not at home and I tried to reach them on their cell phone. It was at that point that I learned that Matt had died and that they were making the funeral and burial arrangements.

I learned from the loss of my friend Matt that life is too short and that a person needs to live their life to the fullest and that beer and drugs are not the way to go. I have friends who have died from using and abusing drugs and alcohol. Did you know that every 31 minutes someone is killed and every 2 minutes someone is injured by a drunk driver. The people who are most at risk are young people between the ages of 18 to 21 for they are more likely to experiment with drugs and alcohol. In 1980 more than 2,300 laws were passed on drinking and driving, yet people are still dying and can be victims to the drunks behind the wheel of a vehicle.

Kaylene Adams:

Our elders and parents always tell us that alcohol and drugs are no good for us. Sometimes we listen, but mostly we don’t seem to. On our Salish and Kootenai Reservation, I can’t help but remember those two eleven year old boys that died from alcohol poisoning and freezing, or of all the crosses that line our roads. Many deaths resulting from drivers who were on drugs or alcohol while operating a motorized vehicle. Sometimes I think of my classmates and it’s difficult knowing that one out of five have thought of suicide and most of these problems that our youth face are a result of alcohol and drug use. Sometimes we listen to our elders and parents, but mostly we don’t seem to acknowledge their words when they tell us not to use or abuse alcohol or drugs. So my message it that, it is a good time to open our ears and listen more closely to the words that they speak for our own good and the good of others.