Drunk Driving Dangers Shared with PVHS Students in ‘Shattered Dreams’

Perkiomen Valley High School juniors and seniors participated in a “Shattered Dreams” program on Tuesday, which warned students of the dangers of drunk driving with a simulated car accident and a mock funeral for the victims of the accident.

The program began in the mornng with the screening of a movie, providing the backstory of student actors involved in a drinking and driving incident after prom.

The students were then taken outside to show the aftermath of the drunk driving incident, which included emergency personnel and a helicopter attempting to rescue the actors. Emergency crews at the scene included Trappe, Perkiomen and Collegeville Fire Companies, and Lower Frederick EMS.

For the remainder of the day, there was a flat-line tone broadcasted over the loudspeakers to remind students that every 15 minutes, someone is killed in a drunk driving incident. After each tone, members of the junior and senior classes served as “walking dead” by getting up and leaving the classroom.

In the afternoon, there was a funeral procession for the victims involved in the mock car accident, officiated by Pastor Martha Kriebel of Trinity United Church of Christ Church in Collegeville

Kriebel told the students that, while these deaths were fictional, she has helped to bury five people due to drunk driving incidents - one young couple who started out very similar to the students at the assembly, attending prom together.

A eulogy was spoken for each accident "victim."

“To say this is unfair would be an understatement,” said one student actor. “This should not have happened, and we have to do this because of one bad decision – three families shattered, three futures exterminated.”

“We do not intend to hurt others – but bad choices can hurt people,” another actor said.

Student actors attending the funeral placed flowers on the caskets, as the choir sang “Amazing Grace.”

The day's events seemed to have an impact on some students.

“Guys, this can’t happen again,” said one student to a group of friends after the funeral.  “We can’t go together to any more funerals.”