High school graduation is a pretty big deal. For most of us, it’s the first major life accomplishment. It’s also the end of an important chapter of your life, and the start of another. You’ve endured four years of hard work, school projects, tests, homework, and more tests. You’re probably glad that’s over.

This is definitely an exciting, fun filled time of your high school career, yet all too often parties and celebrations can turn tragic especially when alcohol and drugs are present. Senior Promise is a call to action for students and others reminding us that safety is a shared responsibility that begins with smart choices.

Throughout your lifetime you will be challenged to make choices and decisions. Let’s face it, we all make good choices and some not so good choices. Keep in mind that all choices have outcomes, and some choices can have life-changing consequences. Prom and graduation is your time to celebrate. It’s also a critical time for making smart choices.

Statistics show that prom and graduation season are among the deadliest times of year for teens. National Foundation for Teen Safe Driving created this safety awareness campaign with a call to action to help mitigate tragic consequences that can come from just one bad choice.

Senior Promise is not just for students attending prom. It’s a call to action for students, family, friends and other concerned members of the community because safety is a shared responsibility.

Senior Promise is

• is a promise you make to yourself and to others to behave responsibly before, during and after prom, by making smart choices that can help prevent tragedies or regrets.
• is your pledge to an alcohol and drug free prom night.
• is your pledge to be a safe driver to ensure your safety, and the safety of others.
• is a pledge by parents, family, friends and other adult influencers to support the smart choices made by students, and lead by example with their own smart choices.

This is also the time when graduates will start to make some important decisions and create a path for the future you envision for yourself. While nobody can predict the outcome, the choices you make today will most certainly play a part in shaping your tomorrow.

My Senior Promise is about the choices you make today that becomes part of your guiding principle for life. It’s about making a behavioral choice that is backed by a promise to yourself. It’s a promise not to be broken, that must be supported by action no matter how hard or unpopular those actions may be. Remember, the choices you make today can instill the values and qualities that will ultimately define the person you become and the life you live.