SPecial SecTioNc5-c8PageS aPril 19,

The NorTh STar

2013

The

choice is

always

yours.

The NorTh STarSPecial SecTioNc6

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on the morning of April 10, north students

saw a car crash that will cause them to question

every choice they make in the future.

the national Every 15 Minutes organization

partnered with the California highway Patrol to

stage a car accident demonstrating the effects that

driving under the influence can bring.

Seventeen seniors participated in the staged

event which resulted in three deaths, two on scene

and one in the ambulance.

the remaining 11 participants were considered

the living dead headed by the Grim reaper who

was actually Skip Sher-

walter, a policeman.

Although the car

crash was not real, it

still left an impact on

the senior class.

immediately follow-

ing the car crash, stu-

dents who were

involved with the pro-

gram were taken on a

tour to learn more about the different aspects that

follow a dUi incident.

the first stop was made at the riverside Su-

perior Courthouse where Adrian hughes was tried

for driving under the influence causing the deaths

of omar Coria, Leopoldo Amaya and Jessica

Munoz and leaving denzel foster paralyzed.

the trial was open to the public. People of the

Court included hughes aunt who was reduced to

tears when the judge sentenced hughes to 16

years in prison. the criminal was then taken to a

waiting cell by the deputy.

hughes himself was shaken as well. [Getting

arrested] was scary. i felt like i was actually going

to jail. When they slammed the cell it got real and

i was about to cry. i felt like i was [actually] sen-

tenced for those peoples deaths, he said.

After leaving the court, students arrived at

riverside Community hospital where they had

the opportunity to tour the emergency room, sur-

gical unit and the morgue.

they were not only able to see the process that

foster had to go through after being rescued from

the accident by paramedics but also understand

the role that the morgue plays.

in this case, Munoz, who was pronounced dead in

the ambulance, would have ended up in the

morgue.

if her body was not claimed from the hospital

by a family member within two days, she would

have been taken away by a riverside Coroner of-

ficer.

After seeing this Wahab Gondal said, Life is

too short. You never know when obstacles will

come your way. You never know when that wrong

turn is. [We] should all be more careful and make

better choices.

dinner was served at the riverside downtown

fire Station where students got to interact with

local fire fighters and learn about their specific

jobs in an accident such as the one that was staged

at north.

the event was divided into two days to in-

crease the impact on the participants, their friends

and even their parents.

While students in the program were busy

learning about the aftermath of a dUi accident,

riverside police officers personally called or vis-

ited each family to inform parents or guardians of

their childs death.

Although parents were informed beforehand

that the event was entirely staged, they still had a

difficult time accepting the news.

Coria and Amayas parents specifically were

required to be on scene immediately after the ac-

cident occurred to identify their children.

Captain of the riverside fire department John

Peurfoy said, [in car accidents] you dont get a

chance to say goodbye but you do get a chance to

make a different choice.

in order to make the event more realistic, stu-

dents were required to leave all technological de-

vices at home leaving them with no way to

contact the outside world while

staying at a hotel downtown

overnight.

Meanwhile, a dUi seminar

was hosted by California highway

Patrol Public information officer

Steve Carapia and Police officer

Karen havercamp in the hotels

ballroom.

Carapia explained the various

legal consequences impaired driv-

ing can bring. Volunteers also got to test the

breathilizer. the night ended with participants

writing letters to their parents reflecting on the

lessons they learned that day.

the following morning a special assembly

was held at north for seniors who had seen the

accident the day before.

Parents were invited to attend the assembly

and finally had the chance to talk to their children.

Students and parents volunteered to read their let-

ters to the entire audience. the program ended

with a luncheon where sponsors, supporters and

participants were recognized.

Peurfoy said, [this program has] the domino

effect. Students see the scenario of the people who

are killed drunk driving. then if theyre at a party

on prom night and they see someone whos been

drinking and driving, hopefully they remember

this program because of what they saw here.

Were saying think about the choices you make

and the people that it affects. thats the impact.

Students react to

tragic realities after

car crash

You dont get a chance to

say goodbye but you do

get a chance to make a

different choice.

Captain John Peurfoy

Scan this QR code to visit the

official every 15 minutes website

to learn more about the program

and the impact it has on

teenagers throughout the united

states. find out how you can reg-

ister with the organization to

host an event at your school.

Emily Chen

Editor-in-ChiEf

The NorTh STar Friday, aPril 19, 2013 c7

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1. disguised as the Grim reaper, Skip Sherwalter leads the living dead students out to the ac-

cident.

2. the members of the riverside fire department drill into the cars as the first step of the

staged accident before student spectators come to the scene.

3. the front window is shattered by a firefighter with a hammer to make the accident more re-

alistic.

4. Shortly after receiving a 911 call, members of the riverside Police department arrive on

the scene to find injured and dead students.

5. Leopoldo Amaya is covered by a body bag after being pronounced dead.

6. omar Corias father is asked to identify his dead son.

7. firemen place Jessica Munoz on a stretcher after removing her from the accident.

8. Adrian hughes is arrested by a police officer after failing the sobriety test.

9. After being removed from the accident, an injured Munoz is taken care of by paramedics

from the riverside Community hospital.

10. hughes is prosecuted in the riverside Superior Court and sentenced to16 years in prison.

11. Students visit the riverside Community hospitals morgue to understand how dead bodies

are preserved.

12. in the dUi seminar, Juan Andrade takes the breathilizer test given by California highway

Patrol officer Steve Carapia and Police officer Karen havercamp to demonstrate how a per-

sons alcohol level is determined.

13. rashaya Stanfield writes a letter to her parents at the end of the day.

14. Alexis Alfaros parents read their letter to their dead daughter for the entire senior class,

drawing tears from students and teachers alike.

15. Amanda Valdez and her mother are all smiles as they attend the thank you luncheon know-

ing that the unfortunate events from the previous day are educational but luckily, staged.

Photos by Emily Chen

The NorTh STar Friday, aPril 19, 2013SPecial SecTioNc8

In the Back Seat: A

Students Perspective

When senior Mina Jackson left for

school the morning of April 10 she

knew it wasnt going to be a typical

day. the scheduled Every 15 Min-

utes program had been planned for

months in advance and she knew what

she was going to have to do.

After a morning of breakfast with

her peers in the program and setting up

the scene of the accident, Jackson was

covered in fake blood and put in a de-

molished vehicle with her three best

friends, seniors Leopoldo Amaya,

omar Coria and Jessica Munoz.

next to them was another crashed

car with seniors denzel foster and

Adrian hughes. When the staged

accident began, Amaya and Coria were

to be dead on the scene, Munoz was

unconscious, hughes was disoriented

and foster was paralyzed from the

waist down.

once the paramedics arrived and

students were assessed for injuries,

Jackson realized she was not okay.

Using the designated code words this

is for real, she alerted the paramedics

around her of her fragile state as she

watched her friends be taken away.

i was very emotional and i cried

before, i cried during and ill probably

cry later on too. it was really hard for

me to watch them get taken away in the

body bags. i cant even put it into

words. i lost it. i couldnt control it

anymore, said Jackson as she recalled

the mornings events.

hughes was taken out and ques-

tioned upon suspicion for a dUi while

Jackson watched from the curb nearby.

however she was not the only student

to become emotionally in-

volved in the scene.

the onlooking

seniors and

t e a c h e r s

were all at-

t e n t i v e ,

s o m e

w i t h

cam-

eras, others staring in shock and occa-

sionally crying. the tragic demonstra-

tion had a huge impact on the school.

As Jackson watched her friends getting

carried away and identified, she was

comforted by an officer and another

adult in the program.

Jessica Munoz was one of my

closest friends. Shes been there for me

since sophomore year. Shes never let

me down and i could count on her for

anything. [Leopoldo] is the same way.

i met him sophomore year in Law

Academy and he is a big brother to me.

he helps me with so many situations in

my life and omar was my boyfriend of

three years. hes one of my best

friends. i dont know what id do with-

out any of them. it was really hard for

me to watch all of them just go.

Like many people in todays society

this wasnt the first time Jackson has

been exposed to the tragedy of a car ac-

cident due to a dUi. i was 7-years-old

and we got a call around 12:30 at night

that my moms friend had been at a bar.

he was walking out of it, was hit by

somebody and was flipped over the car

three or four times [before he] landed

on the windshield. he cracked open his

skull and was in the hospital for a

while. to me it seemed a lot longer but

it was probably about a week later and

he was gone.

he was so close to me its really

hard to watch the people you

love go through that and re-

ally have no way to com-

fort them and tell them it

will be okay because it

wont. Somebody

made the wrong deci-

sion and it cost some-

one their life.

i just really hope

people take into con-

sideration their ac-

tions. not just

drinking and driving

but in general. dont

put somebody elses

life in danger, not even

your own because you

dont just hurt yourself.

You hurt everybody around you,

Jackson said.

this message was con-

veyed through those who

took part in the pro-

gram. Munoz said, i

experienced every-

thing to the full ex-

tent because i got

into the acci-

dent and i flat

lined in the

a m -

bulance. ... they took me to the hospi-

tal and my uncle had to identify me. he

was so upset and my little sister got

wheeled out of the room because she

was crying so much. it was a really big

deal ... it made me feel really sad be-

cause death has been a common thing

in my life. When you feel [loss], it

hurts a lot. When its somebody close

to you, it hurts even more. Your heart

is just ripped out of you. i felt what he

felt. i felt that his heart was gone. My

uncle practically raised me and i could

feel him touching my hair and he

wanted to hug me but i was dead. i

could feel he wanted me to get back up

... but it wasnt happening.

As students responded to the acci-

dent and in the assembly following,

support flooded through social media

with shared pictures and reflective

comments. the reactions were com-

forting to officials of both the school

and the city as Mayor rusty Bailey

spoke at the mock memorial encourag-

ing students to drive safely.

After the ceremony the students in

the program reunited with their parents,

some with tear-filled eyes and others

with thoughtful words of gratitude for

their lives. Many seniors were posi-

tively impacted by the unique experi-

ence offered to them in the

Every 15 Min-

utes pro-

gram.

Harlee Duckett

We see consequences [of drunk

driving] all the time. But we lie to

ourselves and say that won't hap-

pen to me. Until it does, we wont

change our way of life.

Rachel Justis

At first, I didn't feel very emotionally

connected, but when some students

read their letters to their parents at

the assembly, I was moved because I

realized the value of life and how this

could happen to anyone. My friends,

my teachers, my parents, even me.

And the fact that nothing would ever

be the same afterward.

Ryan Assali

I thought that 'Every 15 Minutes' was

something really good to see. Lots of

people need to be informed on the dan-

gers of driving and making the wrong

choices in general. People underestimate

the consequences of their actions all the

time and it always leads to something

bad, so this event was a good reminder ...

People need to respect the purpose of the

event and just do the right thing.

Caitlin Redak

Editor-in-ChiEf