In an effort to keep teens from drinking and driving, acting students from Chatelech Secondary School gave a shocking and disturbing performance May 16.
The students worked with first responders Monday morning to set up a staged drinking and driving accident scene in the parking lot at Chat, and then the entire school was brought out to watch the scene unfold.
The acting students screamed in horror, moaned in pain and cried in distress at the results of a head-on collision between a drunk driver and a sober one that left two students dead, one critically injured and the rest with minor cuts and bruises.
"We had one dead on impact on the hood of the car, one who died at the scene, one critically injured and one walking wounded, all in the sober car. In the drunk car, everyone had minor cuts and bruises," said acting student Maya Schutz.
The wounds were reminiscent of what has happened hundreds of times in drunk driving accidents on B.C. roadways, including the fact that those who were drinking were relatively unharmed.
"We did it that way because statistically that's what happens," added acting student Willie Knauff.
The students took their roles seriously and did their best to show the horror that unfolds at the scene of a drunk driving accident. Those who were in the "drunk" car hassled police officers and refused to see their role in the tragedy, with the driver saying she "only had a few drinks" and felt completely capable to drive.
Those in the sober car were supposed to be coming home from seeing a movie together and were completely unaware that the social outing would end in death for two of their friends.
"We certainly did this with a purpose. Graduation and year-end activities are coming up, and we wanted to get the message out about drunk driving," said Grade 10 to 12 acting teacher Paddy McCallum.
He said his students took the acting assignment very seriously, adding he was amazed at how real the mock accident felt.
Students watching were impacted as well, with some shedding tears at the portrayal.
Schutz said she hopes teens will remember the visual when thinking about drinking and driving in the future.
"Even if they laughed it off, if the next time they're at a party they think about it, then that's important. Seeing something like that at the right age can have a huge impact," she said.
Following the staged accident, students moved inside the school for a presentation on the dangers of drinking and driving where more statistics were given and real-life accident images were shown.
Students found the presentation impactful and organizers hope the day's events will keep teens from becoming drinking and driving statistic in B.C.
"If any of it gives [students] the slightest bit of trepidation about drinking and driving, then we accomplished what we were trying to do," Knauff said.
