C.C. Winn High School Teens Place in Track-A-Thon Contest

EPISD would like to take this time to applaud the efforts of CC Winn High School Student Council members Sarai Rocha and Hector Saldana for proudly representing their school and district in Teen in the Driver's Seat Track-A-Thon Contest. Teens in the Driver's Seat® in partnership with Union Pacific held Track-A-Thon with the specific theme of Pedestrian Rail Crossing Safety. The contest accepted video, essay, or slideshow pitches as contest submissions by individuals or teen teams. The Track-A-Thon was created for students to submit their most innovative idea to prevent pedestrian rail crossing incidents. The innovations could be communication campaigns,awareness activities, new technology, or infrastructure advancements. 

Rocha and Saldana utilized their personal experience and that of their peers to come up with high-quality obstacle detection through advanced CCTV cameras and increased signage outlining threats to pedestrians crossing railroad tracks. Rocha noted that she had often missed signs at railway crossings or didn’t understand how severe the consequences of disregarding these signs could be. To increase awareness for youth her age, Rocha recommended adding signs that outline the various threats pedestrians can encounter. Saldana took a more technological approach to his solution with a recommendation for high-quality detection through CCTV cameras. These cameras are commonly used for security and have a variety of assets including wide lens, night vision and advanced data storage. Saldana noted that this would help researchers understand trends of pedestrians and how to increase safety.

We are proud to say that Sarai and Hector claimed 2nd and 3rd place respectively!

Way to go Mavs!