In memory of a beloved student, Shadow Ridge dedicates an entire Spirit Week in her honor and concludes the week with a boy’s soccer game called Yellow Out coached by Brian LaVoie. At 18 years old, Hillary LaVoie passed away due to a tragic car accident on September 26, 2010. This year, the boy’s soccer game was held on Shadow Ridge’s “Hillary LaVoie Soccer Field” on Thursday, September 26, 2024. The girls had their game on Monday, September 30, 2024.
LaVoie and her friends were returning from Reno, Nevada, on the day of the car crash. While LaVoie was sleeping in the car, her friend lost focus and took a turn too quickly, causing the vehicle to roll over. Unfortunately, LaVoie was not wearing her seatbelt at the time and tragically did not survive. Heartbroken by the loss, her family used this tragedy as an opportunity to emphasize the importance of always wearing a seatbelt.
At first, the Yellow Out started with an upcoming football game.
“The yellow-out football game began after the death of Hillary LaVoie, whose favorite color was yellow. The students approached the LaVoie family about honoring her by all wearing yellow at the following football game,” Coach Kayla Williams stated. “However, the Yellow Out Soccer game began when her dad, Brian LaVoie, became the head coach of the boy’s soccer program. Since then, the event has occurred annually.”
On the day of the Yellow Out, Shadow Ridge teams up with many organizations to ensure teen driving safety.
“Our annual Yellow Out starts the day off by teaming up with the Las Vegas Metro Police Department and Safe Kids of Nevada for Buck for a Buckle. This event is where we give a $1 bill to each teenage driver or passenger who is wearing their seatbelt on the commute to school. We then follow up with pledges at lunch that state students will always wear their seatbelt every time they enter a vehicle. Then we end the night at the Yellow Out varsity boys’ soccer game, where the players wear yellow jerseys during the game. Webster Orthodontic helps sponsor our purchase of yellow shirts for each staff member, also.”
To the students who are on Shadow’s soccer team (both boys’ and girls’), this memorial is very important.
“Hillary was a huge part of the Shadow community, and this is a reminder that at any moment your life could change completely and something so small could save your life,” senior Sophia Snow stated. “It’s important to me and the rest of the members of soccer because we’re all very close with Coach LaVoie, and if anyone lost a loved one like that, it’s an awful feeling. It’s very sad, but also an amazing reminder to wear your seatbelt, because someone is waiting for you to come home.”
Being safe is important and wearing a seatbelt can save lives, so please teens, parents, and children always wear a seatbelt.
