On Monday, October 25, 2010, Bangs High School will participate in its first “Shattered Dreams” Program.

“Shattered Dreams” is a two-day, school-based program that promotes responsible decision-making among high school students regarding underage drinking and impaired driving (driving after drinking or riding with a drinking driver) by showing them how irresponsible choices can end all dreams.  The program was developed by the Bexar County DWI Task Force Advisory Board on Underage Drinking in 1998 as an expansion of the “Every 15 Minutes” program introduced in Chico, California. The “Every 15 Minutes” program was started by the Chico Police Department and named to signify the number of alcohol-related fatalities in the United States during the mid nineties. The “Shattered Dreams” program emphasizes the results of alcohol-related crashes: the shattered dreams of those who drive after drinking, the innocent victims, and their friends and families.  “Shattered Dreams”, coordinated by Bangs High School Campus Crime Stoppers and FCCLA, involves the school administration and faculty, students, parents, community organizations, law enforcement, emergency medical services, and area hospitals in the planning and implementation of the activities.

The “Shattered Dreams” Program uses the dramatization of an alcohol-related crash set on the high school campus, complete with police and EMS response, emergency room treatment, family notifications, and the arrest and booking of the driver. The mock crash scene is played out before the student body during the school day. To give students a better understanding of the number of DWI-related deaths, an individual dressed as the “Grim Reaper” appears every 15 minutes to select a new “victim”. The “victims” are taken out of class, made-up in white faces and dressed in black t-shirts to symbolize death, and then returned to their classrooms to continue their day without communicating or interacting with classmates. Participating students are taken to an overnight retreat to work with a counselor regarding the day events and how it has affected them.

Day two wraps up the program with an assembly featuring those who played roles in the previous day’s drama, including the “crash” victims, the drunk driver, their parents, and participating law enforcement and medical personnel.  Impact statements from community members whose lives have been affected by teenage alcohol use and drunk driving bring closure to the program and reinforce its dual message for the teenage audience — Don’t drink until you are 21, and never drink and drive.

“Shattered Dreams” is about drinking and driving. It’s about living and dying. Can “Shattered Dreams” make a difference in a young person’s life? Families, schools, faith-based and community groups in Texas must join together to teach young people that consuming alcohol while underage is never a good choice. Can our communities afford to ignore the devastating impact that underage drinking is causing?  If you have any questions or wish to make a financial, time or supply donation, please contact Jamie Moore, Rachel Hall or Kay Ribble at Bangs High School, 325.752.6822.