Usually Andy Hardin Field is a place where football players
roam, but last week Tuesday, a man who was dressed as the Grim
Reaper strolled along on the school grounds. At a reenactment last
week, two cars were smashed into each other and a few bodies lay on
the ground as students watched and officers from the Hollister
Police Department, the sheriff’s office and California Highway
Patrol acted out working to help the
”
victims.
”
Usually Andy Hardin Field is a place where football players roam, but last week Tuesday, a man who was dressed as the Grim Reaper strolled along on the school grounds.
At a reenactment last week, two cars were smashed into each other and a few bodies lay on the ground as students watched and officers from the Hollister Police Department, the sheriff’s office and California Highway Patrol acted out working to help the “victims.”
But the officers wanted to make sure it felt real as part of the third “Every 15 Minutes” program put on by San Benito High School and sponsored by the CHP.
“We do what we normally do,” CHP officer Jaime Rios said.
The “Every 15 Minutes” program is run by the CHP in hopes of preventing teenagers from driving drunk or going into a car with someone who is intoxicated, Rios said.
It is kept secret from the entire student body, except for a select 20 students who are chosen by the school administration and who act as the “living dead.”
“The experience for the students and the staff that was able to attend was intense, emotional and powerful,” San Benito High School Principal Krystal Lomanto said. “Hopefully, they understand the powerful message.”
The “living dead” students are taken out of class every 15 minutes to represent the time that passes nationwide between driving under the influence crashes. The students are present during the mock crash sequence and are secluded from friends and families for 24 hours.
“Living dead” member Aundria Borda, a senior, said it was a good experience that was both fun and informative.
“It made me realize … that one choice can have an impact on the entire school,” she said.
See the full story in the Free Lance on Tuesday.
