Community & Business
29 April, 2021
High schoolers given jumpstart
MAREEBA State High School (MSHS) students will now have an easier time getting their Ps after the school was gifted a new car as a part of their ARTIE program.
MAREEBA State High School (MSHS) students will now have an easier time getting their Ps after the school was gifted a new car as a part of their ARTIE program.
The ARTIE Academy Driver Licensing Program was developed to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids who are eligible to secure their license while still in school.
The MSHS program has taken a massive step forward with RACQ and Former Origin Greats Players (FOGS) Queensland donating a new car to the school specifically for the ARTIE program.
MSHS Principal Scott Whybird said that this program will help students get their license while still at school.
“There will be an application program that it goes through, what we are encouraging also is that students need to have a certain amount of attendance to qualify to use the car,” he said.
“We want everyone to get their license, but we also want everyone to come to school.
“Education is the big thing really, what we want to do is get the kids at school and learning and that is what this program does.”
Donating a car to MSHS for the ARTIE program removes the roadblocks surrounding students securing their licenses, including parents sharing one car, or having no car at all.
Head of Community and Education at RACQ David Contarini, said that unlike other exterior programs, this program keeps the kids at school while getting their 100 hours.
“If we bring the resource into the school, they can run that vehicle using an in-house program,” he said.
“A student can then go out for an hour drive, then that student is getting their 100 hours up.
“If their vehicle is at the school there are no roadblocks anymore so we can get to those students who are having trouble getting their 100 hours up.”
