SPRINGFIELD -- This spring, students at McDonald County High School took a pledge to be Safe and Sober. Safe and Sober, a nonprofit organization, rewarded McDonald County High School and its students this month for their outstanding participation in the program by giving the school a check for $500.

In the 2017-2018 school year, 468 middle and high schools with more than 160,000 students statewide registered for the free Safe and Sober program. This program is made available through a grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation and private donations. Each school received educational materials, including pledge cards for each student, discussion guides and an engaging video designed to illustrate the dangers and consequences of underage drinking and drunk driving.

The Safe and Sober program is implemented in a unique way at each school. At McDonald County High School, the program is used in a variety of ways. It began by advertising the program in March with its school character education program, used to implement school-wide character initiatives throughout the year. In April, two weeks prior to senior prom, classrooms go over the Safe and Sober handout materials and video. Students are then encouraged to take the pledge during lunch coinciding with prom ticket sales.

Safe and Sober is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating Missouri high school students, middle school students, and their parents on the dangers of underage drinking, drunk driving and drug use. For more information, visit missourisafeandsober.com.