Polytechnic School: Every 15 Minutes

Last Thursday, a dozen Poly students “died” as part of the “Every 15 Minutes” program, a two-day drinking and driving awareness program directed toward teenage drivers. With direction from the Pasadena Police and Fire Departments, Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, and Huntington Hospital, a mock fatal collision was staged on Arden Road. A police officer and the “grim reaper” first visited Upper School classes to announce that some of the students’ classmates had been killed in an accident. Students then were brought out to view the accident scene, which involved classmates portraying a drunk driver, a passenger who was taken away by ambulance, and a pedestrian who had been killed and was taken away by the coroner. The 12 students who played a role did not return to class and were taken to an overnight retreat, where they further discussed the dangers of drinking and driving.

During an assembly the following morning, representatives from M.A.D.D., State Farm (who underwrites the program, along with the California Highway Patrol), Pasadena Police Chief Phillip Sanchez, and the 12 students all addressed the Upper School. In addition, a video capturing important moments during the previous day’s activities was shown.

Rachel, a Poly senior and one of the 12 students who participated, reflected on the experience: “One of the hardest parts for me during the program was watching Courtney getting wrapped and put into the coroner van. Seeing her body so limp really made the experience feel much more real. … The part that really shocked me was knowing that this could happen without even drinking but from checking a text message, which I know is way more common.” Another member of the student “actors” is sophomore Hunter, who stressed that “Teen drunk driving is a pertinent issue in our community that is often ignored. It was important to bring this matter to people’s attention.”

The program is named for the statistic from the year the program began, that someone in the United States died in an alcohol-related traffic collision every 15 minutes. Fortunately, the numbers have improved slightly since then, but it’s still the number one killer of teens. Click here for a slideshow of the events on campus last week.

For more information, visit http://www.polytechnic.org/.