Hoosick Falls Central School is conducting its fifth annual Battle of the Belts competition on Friday, April 1, with a rain date of April 8.
Students in grades 7 to 12 will participate in this event to raise awareness of the importance of wearing seat belts. Each grade will be represented by a team of four students. Those teams will compete by getting into a car, buckling their seatbelts, getting out of the car and moving to the next seat, buckling up again, etc. until everyone has been in each seat. Their classmates will be outside in the parking lot cheering on their team. The team members with the fastest time will receive gift certificates.
The idea to host a Battle of the Belts came from the Sean’s Run Foundation. Sean French was a Chatham High School track and field standout who died in January 2002 in a DWI accident. Sean wasn’t wearing a seat belt. The Foundation sponsors the annual Sean’s Run to raise awareness about the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs and about the importance of wearing seat belts. HFCS’s SADD Chapter, the Youth Summit Team, is sponsoring this event. The team has been awarded $500 from the Sean’s Run Foundation. Members will be participating in the Run and the Sean’s Run presented by First Niagara Battle of the Belts competition on May 1 at Chatham High.