Peyton Piepho is a senior at Bennington High School and a member of the SAFE Program. She first joined SAFE when she was a freshman, following in the footsteps of her brother. Piepho also participates in cross-country, basketball and track.

“In cross-country I’ve been All-State for two years with a 4th place finish at state in 2017. I was a part of state crosscountry teams that have finished 2nd, 3rd, and 1st, respectively, over the last three years. Last year I was Academic All-state in cross-country as well. In basketball I
am a three-year letterman and was the starting point guard on the BHS team that made school history in 2020 with the school’s first appearance in the state basketball tournament. In track I was a state medalist with a 4th place finish in the 3200M run and a 1st and 2nd place finish in the 4x800M relay. My track team finished 1st and 2nd place at state,” said Piepho. “The thing I appreciate the most about my teammates is that they hold me accountable and constantly push me to give 100 percent and nothing less. They are my second family and the bonds we share make me constantly strive to be the best that I can be.”

Returning to school and having the opportunity to compete and remain active in SAFE was a big moment for Piepho.

“Returning to school and competition has been very important to me. I missed out on my spring track season so it made me realize that sports and education can’t be taken for granted. Even though track last spring and most of my summer sports activities were cancelled, I continued working to improve my abilities by participating in a distance running club and taking personal basketball lessons so that I would be prepared once sports were available,” said Piepho. “Serving in a leadership role in our SAFE organization is important to me. I have personally had several friends that have survived car accidents because they were wearing their seatbelts. Nothing drives home the
importance of seatbelts more than seeing that seatbelts truly do save lives.”

The impact the pandemic has had on the SAFE activities has been significant according to Piepho.  “Unfortunately, COVID-19 has impacted
our SAFE activities. Traditionally we have attended the Kansas Teen Transportation Safety Conference which may not be held this year. We also tend to invite guest speakers into the school to discuss various topics, but this will be more challenging this year due to limiting outsiders in our school and the fact that school assemblies are being discouraged,” said Piepho. “One of the SAFE activities that I most enjoy is helping
lead the annual 8th Grade Workshop which prepares incoming students by educating them on such topics as drugs, alcohol, social media, and peer pressure. Everyday teens have the opportunity to make choices that impact their lives, we want to give them the tools to make the right choices.”