Grade 9 students attend Sturgeon Region P.A.R.T.Y. Program focused on safety and injury prevention

By Haylee Winger
Approximately 250 Grade 9 students from schools across the region gathered at Morinville
Community High School (MCHS) on April 29 to participate in the Sturgeon Region P.A.R.T.Y.
program, a national initiative aimed at promoting injury prevention and healthy decision-making
among youth.
The event was emceed by Jennifer Penner, facilitator with Safe Communities for Sturgeon
County, who explained that the P.A.R.T.Y. program—Prevent Alcohol and Risk-related Trauma
in Youth—is delivered in communities across Canada to educate young people about the
consequences of high-risk behaviours.
The full-day program took place at both the Morinville Community Cultural Centre and MCHS,
featuring presentations from local emergency and support services. Participating organizations
included Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Sturgeon County and Morinville fire departments,
Sturgeon County and Morinville Enforcement Services, emergency medical services, the Central
Alberta Regional Victim Serving Society, and medical staff from the Sturgeon General Hospital.
A mock collision demonstration was held behind the school as part of the hands-on learning
experience, illustrating the real-life consequences of dangerous driving behaviours and the
coordinated response of emergency personnel.
A key moment of the day was a presentation by Brenda McGaw of Shea-Lynn’s Butterfly Effect.
McGaw shared the story of her daughter, Shea-Lynn McGaw, who died in a single-vehicle
rollover on May 17, 2021, just 10 minutes from home. Shea-Lynn, 16, had removed her seat belt
moments before the crash to move within the vehicle and did not properly secure it again. She
was the only one of three occupants not wearing a seat belt correctly and was ejected from the
vehicle, dying instantly. The other occupants, who remained properly restrained, survived with
minor injuries.
During her presentation, McGaw displayed images of her daughter alongside a powerful visual
showing a cross, flowers, and the time 5:12 p.m., paired with the message “three minutes without
a seat belt.” She urged students to have conversations about seat belt use, emphasizing that a
single decision can save a life. She also reminded students of their value and the impact their loss
would have on loved ones. Many students approached her afterward to speak further.
Students were divided into smaller groups throughout the day to attend concurrent sessions led
by RCMP officers, firefighters, trauma specialists, and victim services representatives, including
a postmortem-focused educational component.
Information booths were also set up, offering resources on a range of safety topics. Organizations
present included Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), along with Sturgeon County
Protective Services, which promoted the upcoming Youth Emergency Services (YES) Academy
scheduled for July 20–22, 2026. Enforcement Services provided information on road safety

topics such as speed limits, recreational vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrian awareness,
railway crossings, wildlife collisions, rural safety, and the consequences of impaired driving.
Students also had access to a driving simulator provided by the Youth Initiatives & Education in
Lifestyles & Driving Association (Y.I.E.L.D.), offering an interactive learning experience.
A second full-day session of the program was held on April 30 for additional students.
Penner acknowledged the many community partners and sponsors who made the event possible,
including Enbridge through its Fueling Futures Grant, Sobeys, Tim Hortons, Sturgeon Rural
Crime Watch, Redwater Citizens on Patrol, Sturgeon County, the Town of Morinville, and the
Rotary Club of Morinville Sturgeon. She also recognized the contributions of presenters,
volunteers, and the guest speaker in delivering the impactful program.