Bret Harte Senior Crissy Shevlin takes on Drunk Driving as Senior Project

18 year old Copperopolis resident Crissy Shevlin has chosen as her Senior Project ‘Every 15 Minutes.’

‘Every 15 Minutes’ is a two day program that focuses on high school juniors and seniors, challenging them to think about drinking, driving, personal safety, the responsibility of making mature decisions and the impact their decisions have on family, friends and many others. The program brings together a broad coalition of interested local agencies with the goal of reducing alcohol-related incidents among youth.

Prior to the actual event, approximately 25 students, representing a cross section of the school, are selected.

DAY ONE

One student is removed from class every fifteen minutes and becomes one of the "living dead". A uniformed officer and a counselor enter the classroom and read each student's obituary to those remaining in the class. Simultaneously, the parents of each living dead student are given their child's death notification by a uniformed officer and/or chaplain. Throughout the day, members of the living dead place their tombstones in a temporary cemetery on the school campus so friends and classmates can mourn their loss. A simulated drunk driving collision involving pre-selected high school students is staged for the benefit of the two classes. It begins with a pre-recorded 911 call that triggers an emergency response by law enforcement, firefighters, paramedics, and the coroner. Paramedics treat one student for minor injuries. A second critically injured student is trapped inside a vehicle and must be rescued by firefighters using the "Jaws of Life". A third student is declared dead and removed by the coroner. The fourth student, designated as the drunk driver, is given a field sobriety test and is arrested for driving under the influence. After the collision, the drama continues for the students involved in the crash. Officers book the drunk driver into jail. After booking is completed, the drunk driver must call a parent or guardian to explain what he or she has done. Emergency medical responders transport the critically injured patient to a local trauma center where doctors simulate attempts to save his or her life. Unable to do so, the doctor on duty has the grave task of notifying the student's parents of their child's untimely death. Organ procurement team members discuss the option of organ donation with the parents of the deceased child. Meanwhile, the student who died on-scene is taken to the morgue, weighed and measured, and placed in a body bag until a family member can identify the body. At the end of the day, law enforcement chaperones take the living dead to an overnight retreat. Once the students become members of the living dead, there is no contact with family or friends. At the retreat, the students participate in team building activities and learn first-hand from people who have been involved in or affected by an incident involving alcohol. The evening ends as the students write letters to their loved ones, expressing the thoughts they would convey if they had not been killed on that particular day.

DAY TWO

The living dead students return to school to attend a student body assembly. During the assembly, everyone in the auditorium watches a video of the previous day's events. After the video, several of the living dead students and parents read excerpts from the letters they wrote the night before. They share with their friends and classmates what it felt like to die without having the chance to say goodbye. Other members from the community, like trauma doctors, law enforcement officers, and emergency responders, explain how they are personally affected on a daily basis when someone makes a poor choice involving alcohol. The assembly concludes with a call to action challenging everyone in the auditorium to make responsible choices when alcohol is involved. After 24 hours on an "emotional roller coaster", parents and living dead students are reunited. Parents and teens are typically overwhelmed with emotion and gain a new sense of love and commitment to one another to make the right choices.

The program helps the students see members of their community in a different light. They are no longer just cops, doctors, paramedics, or firefighters, but also friends, mentors, and human beings who care about the kids in their community.

The two-day Every 15 Minutes program is very dramatic and emotional--and purposely so. Teenagers are constantly reminded about the choices they have to make involving alcohol and how many others are affected by their decisions. They know the intellectual statistics. However, many teens share the belief it will never happen to them. This powerful program is designed to create awareness among students that they are not invincible. They experience first-hand how their actions affect the lives of so many other people.

I chose to do the Every 15 Minutes program as my senior project because my friends Jeff and Angela did it two years ago for their project. I strongly believe this program has an effect on students and it shows. Before the program started, a teenager in the United States died every 15 minutes. The average is now a teen dying every 25 minutes. That may not seem like a whole big difference to some, but when it comes to one person's life, ten minutes makes a HUGE difference. I did not want to make silly toys and donate them to a doctor’s office or build a car. Sure those would be a stretch of my abilities but they didn't interest me. I want to grow up and be a Pediatrician, save little kids lives. And what better way to start off than by completing this challenging project? It is very effective and I support it in every way possible.

It’s a crazy program. Bret Harte has tried many different tactics to scare us into not drinking and driving. They showed us a video called Red Asphalt and a few other scare tactics. Every 15 Minutes is not a scare tactic. It’s a reality check and I think my senior class and the junior class NEED this check. It'll hit them hard for sure, but if it will save at least one of my peer’s lives then I will be satisfied. I love every single one of my classmates and don't know how I would handle losing one of them to an alcohol related incident. Love for my peers is the ultimate reason for my choice.

I have two mentors for my project. I work mainly with Nancy Hillman. Nancy is the principal's secretary at Bret Harte. She is great. I loooooove her to the max. She's like a second mom to me and makes sure I get everything done. My second mentor is Officer Jim McKeon of the Angels Camp Police Department. He's a crack up for sure. I wouldn't be able to make this program happen without his connections.

I have one partner, my partner in crime. Ms. Alexis Anderson or Rexi as I like to refer to her. She's one of my best friends and I couldn't have asked for a better partner.

When asked what the most challenging part of the project was Crissy responded “Does the whole thing count?” Then admitted that the hardest part was planning meetings around everyone's schedules. The amount of people involved in putting this project on is CRAZY! At least 15 different people have to attend each meeting not including Lexi and myself. Now match those schedules the first try..... Never happens. Also, the stress. There are sooo many deadlines we are faced with that sneak up on you like crazy. Hate deadlines for sure.

The entire project to me has been fun. A LOT of crazy hours and work but fun. I couldn't have asked for or picked a better project. It's mostly paper work but I've met a lot of cool firefighters that I never would have met if I didn't do this project. Firefighters are AWESOME!!! And they make it soo worth the planning.

The accident date and time will not be announced to keep the experience real for the target audience…the teenagers.  It is not easy to watch a teenager die. I had to watch the performance of Jeff and Angela's and I don't get emotional quite often and it had me in tears. It's intense and I just warn the public if they decide to watch.

I would love to thank EVERYONE! This is not an easy task. Especially Becci Myers of the CHP. She's incredible!!! Not only is she helping plan our project but also Calaveras High's program. I wouldn't be able to do both but somehow she manages. BIIIIIG thanks to her and also Pat and Kelly Murphy. Mr. Jim Rosbrook, he's been at Bret Harte since the dinosaurs I'm pretty sure but he is still teaching and helping us with his fire connections. Of course, my mentor Officer McKeon and Nancy. Jeff Hillman for his support and help with some things. Also, Kaliseia Haas and Rachael Warner. I have known them for about four years now and they have been my rock. Especially Rachael, she's been there for me for both the ups and downs. And during this grueling long project she's been right there when I needed to vent about the stress. Kaliseia is wonderful; always happy and smiley. She's my positive when I'm negative. I couldn't have asked for someone better. Everyone in my life has made this a pleasant experience but those are the main ones. Thank you everyone!!

Note: While the Copper Gazette has always interviewed persons of interest and then written the article, Crissy was so eloquent and complete in her answers via email that the above article was completely written by her with some minor grammar repairs and editing. Well done Crissy.

Crissy made a presentation to the Copperopolis Volunteer Firefighter Association at their monthly meeting January 5, 2012 and received a donation of $500.00 for the program. There are many expenses involved in presenting this program. If you would like to help offset the cost of this program you can write a check to Bret Harte High School in the memo reference ‘Every 15 Minutes’ and mail to :

Bret Harte High School/Every 15 minutes

PO Box 208

Angels Camp, CA   95221