Winter Driver’s Education Classes start November 20 and are available to current students of Crookston Public Schools who are near the age of 15. Students who want to get a license must take the class. The class features 30 hours of instruction, then behind-the-wheel training after they get their permit.
Chris Trostad, Highland Principal and Driver’s Ed instructor describes why the class is required and the times for the class.
“It starts with a 30-hour class that’s required,” Trostad said. “You have to pass the class, and you get what we call a ‘blue card.’ You need a blue card to go to the courthouse to take the written permit test, and you cannot take the written permit (test) until you are 15 years old. Students are enrolled (in the class). It’s three hours long and typically runs from 5:00 (P.M.) to 8:00 (P.M.) in the evenings, Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. It starts November 20 and will end December 15.”
Students must also do 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training with either Mr. Trostad or Rod Olson, and you have to log 50 hours of supervised driving. Trostad explains why they start the class before the students are 15 years old.
“Our ultimate goal is to get them to get their written permit as soon as they turn 15 years old or close to it. And then they have to hold a written permit for at least six months or age 16. You can schedule a road test until you’re 16. So, we offer driver’s ed multiple times a year in hopes that we can get kids to drive with their parents for a year before they take the test so they get a lot of practice. They have to log 50 hours (with their parents) in order to take the driving test.”
The class materials include a book that teaches the students how to drive and the Drivers Manual Study Guide that teaches them all the laws, rules, and regulations you must follow when driving.
“The book is 18 chapters, and it covers everything that you can imagine about driving a car. It’s trying to pre-program kids so that they know what to do. If their brake pedal sinks to the floor, what do you do? There’s lots of different things that I ask the kids in the class quite frequently, like ‘If your pedal hits the floor, what are you gonna do?”
Trostad has been the instructor of the class for 15 years. He says that he always looks forward to watching the kids mature as they learn about driving.
“One of the things is kids really mature from being a young kid in school to all of a sudden you’re dealing with something that could kill someone if you’re not safe and mature about it. And, you know, the questions that kids ask, getting to understand how important it is. I think there are lots of eye-opening experiences that they’ve never thought about before because they’ve sat in a car and watched movies and played video games. They haven’t had to predict the worst-case scenario.”
Students need to achieve an 80% in order to pass the class, which matches the 80% needed to pass the permit test.
Registration for the class is until November 17. The cost of the class is $325, and it includes both the class and behind-the-wheel instruction. You can use the link to get the forms, or you can pick them up at the high school. Once you fill it out, you can scan it and send it to Chris Trostad, or you can drop it off at the high school.
Trostad said that every student who registers makes it in, and if you have any questions, you can call him at Highland School 281-5600.
