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Driving simulator takes Jackson pupils to virtual roads

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By Andrew Martins
Staff Writer

JACKSON – The hum of an engine and the clicking of a turn signal can now be heard in a Jackson classroom following the installation of technology that teachers hope will prepare young people for life on the road without putting them behind the wheel of a real vehicle.

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Sophomores at Jackson Memorial High School have started using a sophisticated driving simulator as part of the school’s driver education program.

“This simulator has offered us a great experience for our students … to have a hands-on simulated experience as it pertains to driving,” Vice Principal Kyle Brunson said. “Through our driver education program … we have an opportunity to take advantage of this grand piece of hardware.”

While the simulator may look like the type of driving game that is found in an arcade, administrators said the software that has been installed in the simulator is what sets it apart as an educational tool.

Teacher Lori Johnson said the simulator features 16 programs that involve different aspects of driving. A teacher is able to set different parameters for each simulation, such as a highway, residential or country roads, the time of day and weather conditions, among other things.

As students use the simulator, their progress will be tracked and linked to their user name, allowing a teacher to monitor areas that need improvement.

Some programs require students to state what they see in front of them; this tests the driver’s situational awareness.

Johnson said she and other teachers want to incorporate outside factors to simulate distracted driving.

“Once the students get more involved [with the simulator], I can tell them to take out their phone and try to text as they drive so we can simulate the same thing as if they are actually driving and not paying attention,” she said.

Students who have used the simulator said the experience has opened their eyes to the realities of driving.

“You think you know what you are doing, but you really don’t know at all,” sophomore Sean Felicie said. “You go, ‘this is easy, I can do this,’ but when you start going, you just go ‘whoa.’ I accidentally ran over three children” in the simulator.

The $25,000 simulator was awarded to the high school as one of three grand prizes in the 2014-15 “U Got Brains” Champion Schools Program sponsored by the Brain Injury Alliance, New Jersey Manufacturers and Allstate.

Although Brunson said efforts have been made to obtain a simulator through the “U Got Brains” program since the 2013-14 school year, it wasn’t until the efforts of Justin Volpe and the entire Jackson Memorial community came together for a video project that the school achieved its goal.

“We had the right group of students in place to move forward with the project last year,” Brunson said.

Brunson said Justin Volpe, whose brother, James, was a senior at Jackson Memorial when he died in a motor vehicle accident in 2011, shot and edited the video, which featured staff members and students explaining why they drive safely.

“The project was all-encompassing,” Brunson said. “It (involved) teachers, cafeteria workers, security guards, everybody. People recognized that and it was a great thing for us to take part in.”

With the assistance of the driver education program and Maryann Stenta, a guidance counselor and adviser for the school’s Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) chapter, the video was entered and Jackson Memorial was one of three schools to win a simulator.

The James Volpe Foundation also assisted in ensuring that Jackson Memorial would receive a simulator.

“Our foundation started because of an automobile accident, so by being able to potentially help other kids, I think this really fulfills our foundation’s mission,” said Chris Russo, who is the foundation’s treasurer. “This really helps grow awareness of the dangers and consequences of bad driving.”

Russo, who said he was one of James Volpe’s best friends growing up, said his friend would have pushed to bring a driving simulator to his high school.

“James was the kind of kid who had a lot of school spirit. He was big on family and his friends, so anything that can potentially help other people, he would be amazed with the work we are doing with the foundation,” Russo said. “He would be the first one to help us achieve a goal like this and help out other kids.”

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