By Marisa Ellis
Circulation Editor
Mira Costa’s People Attaining Complete Equality held the “Every 15 Minutes” demonstration on June 4-5 with Manhattan Beach Police and Fire departments.
PACE held the drunk driving simulation on June 4 and an assembly on June 5. As stated by PACE President senior Gillian Searer, the purpose of the simulation and assembly was to show students the dangers and effects of driving while intoxicated.
Twenty Costa juniors and seniors, chosen by PACE members, participated in the two-day presentation.
“Everyone worked hard to pull this event off,” Searer said. “I hope students will take a lot from this presentation because it’s a very serious matter that could happen to anyone.”
Before the simulation, the Grim Reaper took students from class in 15-minute intervals to represent the statistic that an adolescent dies in a drunk-driving accident every 15 minutes. Students painted their faces in order to represent their death.
“The Grim Reaper impacted how we would feel if one of our friends died from drunk driving,” junior Samantha Banchik said. “It gives students a new perspective on how it can change our lives in a matter of seconds.”
The simulation on June 4 took place on the lower field, during which seniors Skylar Caputo, Megan Carver, Jordan Cohn, Dane Largent, Joe Rosenberg and Gage Stroman imitated a drunk driving accident. According to PACE advisor Dr. Rocky Wilson, the MBPD and MPFD used real tools and protocol while rescuing students, such as sobriety tests.
“Students should have embraced the simulation as a way to really think about if drinking behind the wheel is worth the price of another person’s life,” Costa Principal Dr. Ben Dale said.
During the June 5 assembly, participants of the simulation shared their experiences of the fake death and dangers of drunk driving.
“We hope that all students got something out of this so no one will ever have to understand what it is like to have lost someone in such a horrific experience,” Wilson said.
Leave a Reply