Mansfield Motor Group (MMG) will celebrate the finalists of their year-long sponsorship and citizenship program for Richland County high school seniors at the dealership’s Nissan showroom at 12 p.m. on May 17. The celebration will culminate with the announcement of the winner of either a new Nissan Versa or a $10,000 scholarship.
“We have been very happy to sponsor this event and hope that it has made some students think twice about texting and driving and making wise life choices when it comes to scholastic effort and focus along with avoiding harmful choices relative to drinking and driving, drugs and alcohol,” stated Mansfield Motor Group President Dirk Schluter.
“This was meant to educate students on good citizenship as a whole and not always just about good grades or improvement of their grades. If we made the difference in just one child’s life by keeping them alive or getting them to focus on the right things, then this program is a success in my mind,” added Schluter.
Finalists from each school will be announced and draw for a key that will start the Nissan Versa grand prize. The event is expected to take approximately an hour. Participating students, parents and the general public are welcome. Attendees will have the chance to win a door prize of an Apple iPad.
All contest participants still in the program at each school must attend the May 17 event in order to be eligible to win.
• The parents of each finalist as well as other family members are also encouraged to attend the grand prize drawing on May 17.
• School officials who have been involved in the Citizenship Contest are encouraged to attend and participate. Refreshments will be served.
The year-long program focused on high school seniors from Richland County schools that exhibited the ability to maintain or improve to a satisfactory G.P.A., and to make good life choices relative to staying away from drugs, alcohol and any criminal activities. In addition, each student agreed to always wear their seat belt and to not text while driving. Each student signed a commitment form along with their parents and were subject to background checks throughout the program.
To be eligible for the scholarship opportunity, each student agreed to:
• Have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better for their senior year at the time of the final drawing, OR student must have improved their senior year GPA at least 1.25 points above their final cumulative GPA at the end of their junior year.
• Must not have any school detentions, suspensions, or non-excused absences during their senior year.
• Must not have been arrested or cited for any criminal activities in the past, including but not limited to moving violations, drug or alcohol activities, and seat-belt or texting violations.
Supporting sponsors were Richland Source, Cell Control, Richland Public Health, and the Richland County Safe Communities Coalition.
“We have been very happy to sponsor this event and hope that it has made some students think twice about texting and driving and making wise life choices,” said MMG President Dirk Schluter.
