2022 Northeast Regional Award Winner

Jennifer Chandler

In 2016, Jennifer Chandler was heartbroken after hearing about the deaths of two North Shelby High School students following a car crash, where neither of the youth were wearing seat belts. This tragedy left a huge hole not only with the students, teachers and staff, but within the entire community. At the time, Chandler was a teacher and had two teenage children of her own. The crash motivated her to make it her mission to ensure something like this never happened again in their community.

Chandler became involved in every safe driving organization she could to help accomplish this mission. One of the first programs she signed up for was TRACTION (then known as Team Spirit). This program engages students to create and implement a plan within their school to help educate young drivers on roadway safety. Chandler has assured the students not only attend the TRACTION conference every year, she also ensures follow through. She has led the students to identify creative, interactive opportunities to get all students involved and engaged in safe driving.

Once Chandler retired in May 2022, she officially joined the Northeast Coalition for Roadway Safety as an Outreach Coordinator. She continues her personal mission to save lives in northeast Missouri by educating all ages on the importance of safe driving.
 

Since this tragedy in 2016, and her accepting the leading role to save students’ lives, there have been zero fatalities from North Shelby High School.