Buckle Up - Phone Down - Why this matters
Two of the biggest safety risks for vehicle occupants are not wearing a seatbelt and driving while distracted by a mobile device.
The South Dakota Department of Transportation reminds us that the “challenge is simple: when you get into any vehicle, buckle up your seatbelt. If you are a driver, put the cell phone down.”
Across states, campaigns like those run by the Missouri Department of Transportation and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation are focused on reminding drivers of these two actions: buckle up + phone down.
What the campaign encourages
As a driver: Buckle your seatbelt. Put your phone down (or turn it off) before moving your vehicle.
As a passenger: Encourage the driver to do the same — wear a seatbelt, avoid distractions.
Every trip, every time. Not just on designated “safety weeks”. It’s a habit.
Why it works
Wearing a seatbelt is one of the most effective things a person can do to reduce the risk of death or serious injury if a crash happens. For example, in South Dakota, the state data says front‐seat passengers wearing seatbelts cut their chance of moderate to severe injury by 50% and dying by 45%.
Distracted driving (including using a phone) continues to be a major cause of traffic crashes. For example, in Wisconsin in 2024, there were over 9,000 crashes related to distracted driving, leading to 44 deaths and 3,530 injuries.
Tips for your school community
Encourage students and families to take the “Buckle Up & Phone Down” pledge.
Remind drivers: “If you must use your phone, pull over to a safe location.” Many campaigns emphasize that even hands-free isn’t risk-free.
Use visuals: The campaign often features a “thumb up / thumb down” pose (right thumb up, left thumb down) when taking the pledge for sharing via social media or in school communications.
Make it personal: ask “Why do you take the pledge?” (#WhyIBUPD) so it resonates in your school context.
Why does this fit our community?
At Selby Area School District, we care about safety — for students, families, staff, and the community. Whether someone is driving to school drop‐off, the bus is transporting students, or staff are traveling for events, the message is simple: Buckling up + avoiding phone distractions helps keep everyone safer on the road.
Call to Action
We invite every family, student, staff member, and community partner to join in. Take the pledge today:
🔗 Commit to buckling up every ride.
🔗 Commit to putting the phone down and giving your full attention when driving.
Together, we can shape a culture of safe habits — every trip, every time.
Good luck to the Wolverine volleyball team as they play the winner of Wakpala and Sunshine Bible Academy in the second round of the region 6B tournament. The game will be in Herreid on Tuesday November 4th at 7:00 pm in Herreid. Activities tickets will not honored at this event since it is a state sanctioned event. Admission for the game will be $5 for students and $7 for adults. Information for region volleyball can be found on the following website-https://gobound.com/sd/sdhsaa/volleyball/2025-26/brackets/h20250617015946387ec5c7fa7a51646.
For the boys’ varsity race, there were over 120 runners. Gavin Hirsch got 5th place overall. This was a tougher race for me because I did not run as good as I was expecting or capable of. Sam Ernst got 94th place and Jack Huffman got 116th place. Will Stiegelmeier got 117th place and Faren Nelson got 121st place. The top 5 boys in this race are all amazing runners, and all had the potential to win this race. If we ran this race 5 different times on 5 different days, there would have been a different winner each time. I just want to say congratulations to the Philip boys for getting 1st place as a team for the 4th year in a row, and I am looking forward to seeing them in track season this spring.
Since it is my senior year, I am hoping for nothing but the best for my whole team next year. The last four years were the best years of my life and I am really going to miss high school cross country, this team, and all the friends I have made along the way from this sport, but it is time to start the new journey going into college sports. Another shoutout to Coach Yackley who always holds the team up, pushes them to do their best, and makes sure to make everyone laugh. I couldn’t have asked for a better high school cross country experience and career. To everyone else on the team, I am going to continue to be cheering you on and I will come watch as many races as I can. Never forget to keep pushing to do your best, and go make everyone proud.
Go Wolverines!
Written by Journalism student Gavin Hirsch (12th)
As the weather begins to take on a winter feel, please make sure your child comes to school prepared with: a winter coat, hat, gloves or mittens, and winter boots.
Being properly dressed helps students stay warm and enjoy outdoor activities safely. Thank you for helping us keep everyone comfortable this season!
The Selby Area Volleyball girls had a great game against South Border. Junior Varsity and Varsity won their games. A couple of new personal records were set, as Alyssa Kaup had hit her one thousand digs mark as a sophomore. Then Katie Albee reached her 1,000 assists milestone as a junior. The girls knew they had it made from the start of the games, as confidence and morale were high.
Sophomore Alyssa Kaup stated, “I am so proud of Katie on her 1000 assists, as well as this team staying together even though we knew it was going to be a slower game. Just keeping the mentality of state in the back of our minds every time we step on the court, I think, is really important to really go places.” Alyssa Kaup
“We were very proud of the win, and I'm proud of our team," says sophomore Briley Helm.
Sophomore Gracin Thorstenson added, “When we trust each other and have energy throughout the game, everything comes together."
It was a good game for Selby Area High School. The first set was 25-9. The second set was 25-17 with South Border coming out strong, but the Wolverines finished the set. The third set was 25- 8. The Wolverines needed to finish this set to win the game and they sure did! Everyone played together and had great energy. This game showed that these girls are an unstoppable force, not to be reckoned with.
Written by Journalism student, Taylah Skyberg (10th grade)
https://shop.game-one.com/south-dakota/selby/herreid-selby-area-wolverines
The girls’ team won the whole region and got 1st place, bringing Selby back a plaque. They all ran in the top 20, running very well. They all set either a season record for themselves or an all-time personal record for themselves. Evelyn Shearer got 5th place with a time of 19:55 setting a new personal record by 29 seconds for herself, and also getting the new school record by a long shot. Jentry Hubner got 6th place with a time of 20:23, also setting a new personal record by 24 seconds and beating the old school record time as well. Brynnly Huber got 12th place with a time of 21:32 which is a new season record for her, beating her old season record by 56 seconds. Anniah Russell got 14th place with a time of 21:50 which is also a new season record for her, beating her old old season record by 8 seconds. Finally, Ella Perman got 19th place with a time of 22:21 getting a new season record as well, beating her old season record by 40 seconds. Overall, the girls ran amazing and are ready for state.
For the boys' run, the whole team finished 2nd, also bringing Selby back a plaque. Gavin Hirsch got 1st place with a time of 16:12, beating second place by a whole minute. Sam Ernst ran great, getting 9th place with a time of 18:26 which is a new personal record for him. Sam beat his old record by 37 seconds. Will Stiegelmeier got 30th place with a time of 20:32, also getting a new personal record for himself and beating his old record by 40 seconds. Jack Huffman finished in 36th place with a time of 21:07, setting a new personal record for himself as well beating his old one by 11 seconds. Finally, Faren Nelson got 43rd place, also getting a new personal record for himself and beating his old one by 1 minute and 4 seconds.
With the boys getting 2nd place as a team and the girls getting first place as a team, in addition to all getting top 20, this means that everyone on the team will get to go to state and compete. The state meet will be at the Huron golf course on October 25th, with the time yet to be determined. Everyone is looking forward to going to the state championship, and hopes to see you all there!
Written by Journalism student Gavin Hirsch (12th grade)
Gavin Hirsch got to compete at an additional meet on September 7th at Wall, SD. I raced against very good runners there, and I got 1st place. I broke the old Lions’ record set back in 1976 by Les Miller. I ran a time of 15:18 beating the old record by over a whole minute. It was a perfect day. There was no wind, it was 60 degrees, and a pretty flat course.
The Wolverines’ ran at the YTC meet at Gettysburg on October 8th. This was a very windy meet with wind up to 35 mph but we all still made sure to push through it and not use it as an excuse. For the girls’ varsity race, the girls won the Yellow Stone Conference getting first place as a team. Evelyn Shearer got 5th place with a time of 20:24 breaking the Selby Area School Record, and Jentry Hubner got 6th with a time of 20:47 which is a new personal best as well.
Anniah Russell got 12th with a time of 21:58 which is a new season record for her, and Brynnly Huber got 17th place with a time of 22:36 also getting a new season record. Ella Perman got 22nd with a time of 23:01 also getting a new season record. For the boys’ varsity race, Gavin Hirsch got 2nd with a time of 16:03. I was only 1 second behind first place, but I did end up getting cut off at the end which made me lose my momentum and almost trip. Sam Ernst got 19th place with a time of 19:03, which is a new personal record for him. Jack Huffman got 49th place with a time of 21:18, getting a new personal record as well. Will Stiegelmeier got 53rd with a time of 22:01, which is a new season record for him. And Faren Nelson got 59th with a time of 23:47, which is a new personal record for him too. Finally, for the girls’ junior high race (3000 meters), Della Ernst got 1st place with a time of 13:02, beating 2nd place by 21 seconds. Overall, the Wolverines had a great race and their next meet will be Regions at Gettysburg on September 15th.
Written by Journalism student, Gavin Hirsch (12th grade)
