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Every 15 Minutes will be on March 22 and March 23 for juniors and seniors. This is a bi-annual event put together by the student body to help spread awareness about drunk driving. Students and teachers volunteer and are selected to participate in this event where they will have hypothetically died in a tragic car accident where alcohol is involved.

The Every 15 Minutes program offers a real-life experience without the real-life danger that goes along with it. The event will be divided up into two days. The first day is when the “grim reaper” goes from class to class every 15 minutes collecting students who have “died.”   A fake obituary written by the “dead” students’ parents will be read aloud.

Junior and senior students will gather for an assembly in the afternoon where there will be a simulated traffic collision set up on school grounds. The scene is a true-to-life reenactment of an accident with victims, police, ambulance, fire fighters, and a helicopter for transport of the wounded.  This will give students a chance to experience the sensations of being involved in a tragic car accident first hand.  At the end of the day, the students who have been collected by the “grim reaper” will stay in a local hotel overnight.

An assembly on March 23 will be the funeral with parents and guests in the MPB room.  Students will watch a video of the hospital and the morgue scenes from the time after the accident from the previous day.  A complete version of the video will be available on YouTube.  There are several videos from over the years available to watch also on YouTube.

This event is emotional for everyone because it is a real eye opener because it shows that decisions can affect anyone and everyone on campus.  As students, we have the responsibility to spread the word about alcohol and help students make responsible choices and drive responsibly.  

Update:  Every 15 Minutes took place despite the rainy weather.  Students who volunteered to “die” due to drunk drivers were removed from classes every 15 minutes throughout the day with a heat beat and flat line sound on the PA system.  These individuals joined the grim reaper and created a growing line as they collected students.  During third period, the junior and senior classes sat outside to witness the crash scene as police, ambulance workers, and firemen worked the scene processing the injured and questioning the driver with an arrest at the end.

The following day, students assembled to watch part of the video recorded at the hospital and morgue.  Family members of the “victims” were present to read eulogies for their lost children.  This was an emotional day for many students to watch.

The full video will be posted on YouTube at its completion.