May 2005 Vol.

34

Special Shattered Dreams Edition

Hilary Francis Co-editor Thump thump....thump thump...thump...a heart beat. Beeeeeeep...a flat line. Another student is pulled out of class by the Grim Reaper. The somber students return to class with their faces painted white acting as though they are no longer living--they may not talk or smile-- they are The Living Dead. This was repeated 16 more times throughout the day symbolizing the fact that a person is killed or injured as a result of a drunk driving accident every 20 minutes in Texas. Obituaries were placed in the Blue Commons as each BHS student was killed. Crosses were hammered into the ground in front and around the school--another symbol of their passing on. As each student was removed from class and killed their parents were notified of their death. Playing dead in all my classes wasnt hard, but realizing that my family was being notified of my death put things into perspective for me, said junior Amanda Smith. At two oclock a 911 call was broadcast across the intercom. A frantic female explained the situation of a two car accident. Even after all of the mock events of the day, the 911 call was extremely realistic and somewhat eerie, said freshman Travis Whitley. Students filed out to the crime scene on Campus Drive between Silver and Vi-

Senior Bailey Idom hammers her cross in to symoblize her death during the Shattered Dreams program.

king Stadium where two cars were staged as if they had just collided. Bryan police and fire department personnel quickly responded to the mock crime scene. The drunk driver, Travis Komar, and his passengers, Matt Payne and John Diaz, were relatively unharmed, suffering only minor scrapes and bruises. Komar and Payne were arrested for DWIs and were taken to the police station while Diaz was issued a citation. I still felt guilty even though I knew it wasnt real and I only received a citation. It made me realize that I shouldnt even be in a car with someone who had been drinking whether or not they are the driver or just another passenger like me, said se-

nior John Diaz. The other people involved, however, were not as lucky. Passengers of the hit vehicle included Audra Smith, Tara Maliska, and Darlene Crawford with driver Hannah Sledge. While Bryan PD placed the offenders in the patrol car, paramedics and firefighters worked to remove the four girls from the vehicle. Using the Jaws of Life, a machine that cut through the car doors and roof, they removed passengers Smith and Crawford. Both were rushed away in an ambulance. Maliska, the passenger behind the drivers seat, was lifeflighted to St. Josephs in critical condition but died while in the care of the hospital staff. Sledge, the driver, was pronounced dead at the scene

and taken to Calloway Jones Funeral Home in a white hearse. Watching Hannah, my close friend, being covered with a sheet and put in a hearse was almost too realistic, said junior Tiffany Drozd. It made me think about what life would be like without my friends and how tragic these accidents are. Parents of these students were notified after the wreck. I wasnt prepared for the officers or their message. When they finally arrived, I thought I could handle the news. I had already been told, but was immediately emotional, said Ms. Sledge. The parents all felt some emotion as the idea of their child being gone forever because of a bad decision went through their minds. --continued on pg 3

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May 5, 2005

The Norseman Special Edition

Shattered Dreams
This program truly shocked me. It made me think about my peers dying - it can happen to anyone, anytime. ---Colby Bond, senior The crash was so realistic. Everyone seemed to be effected, people were crying even if they didnt directely know the students involved. ---Debra Brooks, senior As being one of the people responsible and going to jail, I realized all that goes on and how crazy everything is for everyone--it turns into a big mess and its definitely not worth it to drink and drive. ---Matt Payne, senior When all the people who knew someone involved in a drunk driving accident stood up during the assembly it really made me think about how it can happen to any of us. ---Samantha Young, sophomore

Students were engaged and quielty watched the productioon of Shattered Dreams. Several Students commented on how real the production looked and how impacting the families of victoms may feel at the moment of finding out devestaing news. ---Mrs. Thorne I hope the Shattered Dreams program impacted all students. Riding in the helicopter was scary yet thrilling. Still, it made me realize that I never want to be in a drunk driving situation where I would really have to be life lighted away from an accident. ----Tara Maliska, senior

I hope that all Bryan High students think about their choices before they get behind the wheel drunk or ride with someone who has been drinking. ---Drew Allmon, senior

This was a great program and I was very happy to participate. I hope that at least one person was touched and will make the right choice. This is something Ive always wanted to do-impact someone for the better. ---Butch Melton, senior

Special Edition The Norseman

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May 5, 2005

The Reality of Drinking and Driving, the Effects on a Family

Jennifer Haynie Co-editor Mrs. McGill is the mother of an 18 year old A&M Consolidated High School 2002 graduate, and on the night of September 22, 2002, Matthew McGill was tragically killed because someone made the decision to drink and drive. On the morning of April 28, 2005 all Bryan High junior and senior students gathered along with BHS faculty for the Shattered Dreams conclusion at an assembly held in the Viking Gym. Mrs. McGill, along with other guest speakers, shared with Bryan High her experience in losing a loved one to an alcohol related accident. Matt and his fiancee were on their way home from a grocery store when they were hit head-on by a drunk driver. After a frantic phone call from Matts fiancee, Mrs. McGill, only minutes before the ambulances, rushed to the scene which was only one and a half miles from their home. Matt was in the drivers seat splattered with dust, dirt, and broken glass looking as if he was asleep, said Mrs. McGill Matt was taken to College Station Medical Center to receive care for his injuries, which included a ruptured spleen, a broken left arm, and severe brain trauma. Mrs. McGill and her family anxiously waited in a private waiting area for nearly two days until the neurologist who had done brain surgery on Matt came to deliver the news that Matts pituitary gland was shutting down. This meant that all of the organs in Matts body would slowly start to shut down one by one. The family was advised to say their final good-byes and Mrs. McGill had to walk away leaving her only son behind. Shortly after, the hospital began the process of organ retrieval because the family wanted to donate Matts organs. The family is still struggling everyday with the thought that they will

never get to see Matt. I would have given anything, anything in the world, to have awakened to discover that this had all been a bad dream, said Mrs. McGill. The family is now members of a organization, MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving ), that no family ever wants to be a part of. Mrs. McGill will never get the opportunity, every mother believes they will have, to see their child grow and mature to be an adult. The decision one man made to drink and drive did not just affect him but affected someone else and their whole family. The man who hit Matt has never spent a day in jail and is now hiding from police, avoiding the punishment he knows he would serve. Matts family chose to dedicate time to the Shattered Dreams program to spread their story and let others know this could happen to anyone at anytime. Mrs. McGill has visited five different schools since her sons death to encourage others not to make the mistake of drinking and driving.

Shattered Dreams...
continued from pg 1 I cant imagine the feelings parents must actually feel when receiving that kind of heartbreaking news, Sledge said The 31 students involved in the Shattered Dreams program spent the night at Messiah Ranch where they talked about their emotions from the day and participated in leadership activities. All students opened up and exposed themselves without being afraid during the retreat, said Marc McFeron, a fire inspector and public educator who worked with the teenagers. Each student and parent separately wrote a letter sharing their heartfelt desires to see one another again. Mrs. Allmon, Drew Allmons mother, said that she was impacted far more than she believed she would be. Although she knew it was a mock situation, she wept when told her son had been killed. An assembly was held in the Viking Gym the following morning where speakers described their own tales of loved ones killed or injured by a drunk driver. A slide show produced by the BHS Media Department captured the previous days events. Seeing the clips of high school students having fun and then suddenly changing to the crash scene made me think about how precious life is. Theres no reason for it to end so quickly due to a stupid night of fun, said junior Blair Whitley. All who attended, participated, or merely observed were truly touched by the Shattered Dreams program. We believe that if just one student was effected by the Shattered Dreams program, then our efforts were worth it, said advisor Mrs. Willett. We just hope all students took the program seriously and will learn from it.

Volume 34, Special Edition

Co-Editors Hilary Francis & Jennifer Haynie Staff writers Blair Whitely Adviser Rebecca Dominy
The Norseman is a publication produced by the Advanced Journalism Newspaper Production class at Bryan High School. The opinions expressed are those of the author and may not represent the opinion of the faculty, staff or administrators of Bryan High School. Signed letters to the editor are welcome and may be delivered to Rm. 6160 or the Blue Campus Office. Member-UIL Interscholastic League Press Conference (ILPC) Winner of the ILPC Award of Distinguished Merit 1998-99, 1999-2000 Silver Star, 2001-2002.

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May 5, 2005

Drinking and Driving: A Fatal Combination

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) produced a list of statistics on drunk driving for the year 2000. Alcohol involvement remains the leading factor in motor vehicle deaths in the United States. Alcohol was involved in 40% of fatal crashes. An average of one alcohol related fatality occurs every 32 minutes. An average of one person is injured approximately every 2 minutes in a crash where alcohol is present. About 3 in every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol related crash at some time in their lives. Traffic crashes are this countrys greatest single cause of death for every age from 6 to 33 and almost half of these fatalities are related to drunk driving. White males, ages 21-34 constitute the largest percentage of drunk (or impaired) drivers in all fatal crashes. Young people between the ages of 12 and 20 accounted for 11.4% of all U.S. alcohol consumption. More than 2,300 anti-drunk driving laws have been passed since 1980. 25% of Texas seniors admitted to have driven with a bit too much to drink at least once during the past school year. Children who have begin drinking alcohol before the age of 15 are four times more likely to develope alcoholism in adulthood than children who do not drink until the legal age of 21. Approximately 43 of our fellow citizens are lost each day, 305 each week, and 1309 each month because of alcohol-related accidents. Thats one life lost every 33 minutes. Its estimated that every 15 minutes a young person dies in this country as a result of a drunk driving crash.

Intoxication Rates Among Teens Killed in Car Crashes

**Statistics and information taken from www.alcoholalert.com, www.safeparents.com and www.tcada.state.tx.us**