Ocean City Students Promote Bike Safety

OCNJ Daily

From left, Lt. Brian Hopely, Media Teacher Greg Wheeldon, students Kayla Killian, Nathan Goudie and Anna McCabe and Bike OCNJ Chairman Tom Heist of Heist Insurance.

By Phoebe Prettyman In a town like Ocean City, bike safety is crucial. Now that the summer tourism season is getting underway, many bicyclists are out on the roads, bridges and the Boardwalk while sharing the same space with pedestrians and motor vehicle traffic. With the goal of promoting bike safety, Ocean City High School’s TV/Media Program teamed up with the Ocean City Police Department and Tom Heist of Heist Insurance and the chairman of Bike OCNJ, a local bicycling advocacy group. Students had the opportunity to create and submit a public service announcement for a chance to win $1,500 in scholarship money donated by Heist Insurance. Eleven videos were submitted and two were chosen. Kayla Killian, Nathan Goudie, Anna McCabe, Karen Greenwood and Ali Jane Robel were among the students on the two winning teams. Each team was awarded $1,500 in scholarship money for their winning films. Heist called it “a win-win.” The students get the chance to win, while the message of bike safety is promoted, he noted. Prior to the contest, Lt. Brian Hopely of the Police Department’s Traffic Safety Unit met with the students to discuss the different factors of bike safety. The students could choose from a variety of topics for the public service announcement, such as obeying traffic signs, making eye contact with drivers and other bicyclists, the importance of riding with the flow of traffic, and why bikers should always wear a helmet. Along with choosing their topic, the students created the videos on their own, with guidance from Greg Wheeldon, the media teacher. The videos will be featured on www.bikeocnj.org, as well as Ocean City’s municipal webpage at www.ocnj.us. They will also air throughout the summer on Ocean City’s Channel 97.