ROCKWALL/HEATH, TX (October 4, 2014) For many years Rockwall-Heath High School has educated students about the dangers of drinking and driving through the “Shattered Dreams” program.
“Shattered Dreams” is a program for high school students conducted every other year to detour students from drinking and driving. The program is usually presented just before Prom, a time when some teens must make difficult decisions to withstand the peer pressure of drinking and driving or riding with another teen who has been drinking. The purpose of the program is to impact students with the real possibility of death as the outcome of a bad choice.
This year, a community viewing of the 2013 “Shattered Dreams” program will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, October 6 at the Rockwall-Heath Performing Arts Center, in anticipation of Homecoming on October 10. All parents and teens are invited to the hour-long DVD presentation recounting last year’s program. The event is not intended for children younger than 14.
“I have heard from students and parents alike who have told me Shattered Dreams has changed their mindset and perspective. Saving one life is worth the two-years it takes to plan and organize such a program. I consider it a blessing to work with each of these amazing students,” said Monika Amick, the program organizer.
During the three-day program, students are randomly chosen to play the role of the victim of a drunk driving accident. They are removed from their families and the student body and no contact can be made with them while they play the role of the “victim.”
“It is really sad to not have contact at all and to feel the loss of someone who has died. Sometimes it impacts the students who play the roles more than the bystanders,” said one student.
The victims are asked to write a letter to their family and the family writes a letter to the student telling them what it would be like to have them killed in a drunk-driving accident.
After the students have participated in the mandatory program, which includes witnessing a drunk driving accident scene recreation and dramatic roles played by chosen members of the student body, faculty and law enforcement, they are more likely to withstand peer pressure and make a more enlightened choice about getting in a car with a person who has been drinking.
“I don’t ever want to put my friends or family in that kind of situation for such a stupid decision. I think the program has really helped me know how bad that decision can be,” a Rockwall-Heath student said.
By Robin Shackelford.
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