With Junior Prom and Senior Ball coming up; there’s mounds of joy, anxiousness, and perfume in the air already. Unfortunately, as recorded in recent weeks, there are many tragedies that also surround these high school milestones. In seemingly perfect timing, Heritage High was able to host the amazing ‘Every Fifteen Minutes’ program with assistance from its’ own student body.       

  The Heritage student body, alongside the Brentwood Police Activities League, CHP, and various other sponsors, was able to convey a message of responsibility and maturity to the upperclassmen of Heritage High School. From the staged and frighteningly authentic car crash scene to the funerals held for all involved, the entire ordeal was emotionally impactful and stuck with every student who watched.   

  “It was so real, the funerals and the car crash scene. It was honestly tear jerking to hear one of my best friends say goodbye to her family through a letter,” said Jessenia Ambriz (12).

  One of the most impactful segments of the programs is the letters, written by the ‘deceased’ students and read aloud by them, tears and all. From the football team to the robotics club, everyone gave these speeches the respect and attention that they deserved. The letters were for many the hardest part, including those involved.

  “It was really stressful, but I think it was important for not only my family, but the whole school to hear. We were all emotionally drained (the living dead) and I think that came across in my speech. I couldn’t imagine losing my family and the ‘mock’ funeral made it very real,” said Hannah Fogelstrom (12).

  In the car crash scene, the drunk driver was the lone soul who was not injured or killed in the accident. This adds to the reality for the students, having to imagine what it would be like to be involved in an incident which killed multiple of their own friends.

  “Nico said that the thing that really made it all real was when the cell door closed; that metal on metal made his heart sink,” said school resource officer Mitch Brouillette.

  There is nothing worse than trying to imagine life without a loved one, let alone 23 students from Heritage that were all loved by many people. The lives impacted by drunk driving accidents are forever marred by the mistakes made by another individual, and that is a lesson that the students of Heritage High will not soon forget.