Students in Mesa gear up for car giveaway

Mesa high school seniors who do well this school year could have something besides a diploma to look forward to: They might win keys to a new Ford Mustang.

Berge Ford in Mesa is offering a “Study-up and drive,” program that will give high school seniors in the Mesa Unified School District the chance to win a car.

To qualify, students must maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average, pass the AIMS test, comply with student behavior guidelines and have no more than seven absences throughout the year.

“We wanted to offer the high school students in the Mesa public school district something to encourage them to do well school, comply with all the guidelines, and just really support the community,” said Elisa Gross, Berge’s marketing and advertising manager. “I thought it would be a really fun idea.”

The Chandler Unified School District and the Tempe Union High School District offer car giveaways, too, though those are open to all students with perfect attendance.

Both of those districts will receive one 2008 Pontiac G5 from Coulter Motor Company as part of its “Be Cool, Stay in School” program.

The Tempe Union district started its program last year, but Chandler’s program is new.

In districts around the state, officials have been grappling with seniors who slack off during the school year.

“It’s was (Berge’s) idea. They wanted to do something to make a difference in education for kids, and we thought it would be fabulous,” said Kathy Bareiss, spokeswoman for the Mesa district.

But instead of just looking at attendance, the district thought it should also focus on academic achievement and behavior, she said.

Roz Albrecht, a senior at Mesa’s Red Mountain High School, said teachers at her school have been talking up the program but she’s not convinced it will help the kids who wouldn’t already be getting good grades.

“It’s not an incentive to the point where they’re going to do it just for the car. You’re more likely to do it just for yourself,” she said. “I’ve never heard of anyone who said, ‘Hey, I was going to fail senior year, but now I’m not going to because of this car.’”

Gross said she believes the car giveaway will at least get kids “pumped up and excited” about their senior years.

“We’re hoping to maybe incite a little competition amongst the seniors and the different schools,” she said. “And we figured, a Mustang is the greatest kind of encouragement for a 17- or 18-year-old kid.”