The past week at Live Oak High School was an emotional learning
experience for many of the students.
The past week at Live Oak High School was an emotional learning experience for many of the students. The “Every 15 Minutes” program visited our school to show us the reality of the statistic that every 15 minutes a person is killed in an alcohol-related car crash. Twenty-five students were picked to play as the “dead” victims killed by one drunk driver.
Now, I know that the Morgan Hill Times has already covered all of the basics of the “Every 15 Minutes” program that was put on at Live Oak, but for the students and parents of the “dead,” it was much more than just a re-enactment.
On Wednesday friends of the dead seemed to be confused when the Grim Reaper slowly walked into their classroom and took their friend away; not knowing where they were being taken or what was going on. As the day went on students joked about their friends and classmates being taken by the big man dressed as the Grim Reaper, but they didn’t joke later on in the day when the whole school was called to the football field to see the “car collision” that had just been caused by a drunk driver. They watched as police and paramedics went through the procedures that follow such a car crash.
For the rest of the day students talked about what would happen if the crash was real. What would it be like if their friend really was in that car? Or driving that car? The next day those questions would all be answered.
After a night of not being able to talk to their friend, or child, students and parents gathered in the gym for a mock funeral. An elaborate video was shown to the students about where their “dead” friends and classmates were taken after the crash. It showed parents being informed by the police what had happened to their child. It also showed parents visiting their child in the hospital, having to identify them in the morgue, or getting that call that they were put in jail.
Watching these reactions, I think all the students could imagine what it would be like for their own parents to receive that news. After the video, parents and friends of the dead read them letters, followed by the dead reading their own letters to friends and family. As if all of this wasn’t emotional enough, a keynote speaker shared her real life story of her family being taken from her by a drunk driver, which gave the re-enactment a very real twist.
On Friday morning after all of the crying was done, the “dead” students were back in their classrooms and everyone seemed to go back to a normal school day. Although everyone was definitely affected by the program in one way or another, some were still worried that the message didn’t fully get across.
Even though some people may think this, I know many students who changed their weekend plans because the program really did make them think a little bit more about their actions and how they could change their lives, and affect many other people lives who are close to them.
So overall, from my perspective I know it has affected our school in a very positive way, even if it did cause many tears along the way. Students knew that this time it was all just pretend, but now they can at least imagine what it would be like if it were real.
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On a lighter note of events at Live Oak, the Bay Cruise homecoming dance held in San Francisco on Saturday was a huge success. Students danced the night away while seeing the sights of San Francisco. Another success was that attendance for this dance was up this year. This could be due to the fact that the Live Oak football team won its homecoming game this year.
They also won their game this past Friday, making them 7-0. GO NUTS! I hope everyone’s looking forward to all the fun events coming up, and the rest of the girls and I will make sure keep you posted on “The Haps” at Live Oak.
Lauren Devine is a Live Oak senior, Commissioner of Clubs and plays varsity field hockey. She will be writing the weekly Associated Student Body column, alternating with Megan Hamilton, Elicia Perkins and Jessica Towner and Katie Kenyon. Lauren can be reached at [email protected]
