Schools
Anti-DUI Program Stirs Emotions at CDMHS
During the Every 15 Minutes program at Corona del Mar High School, the mother of Crystal Morales, the teen who was seriously injured by a drunk driver in December, spoke to students during the staged funeral.
Boxes of tissues sat at the end of each row of seats in the gym at Corona del Mar High School Wednesday.
The mock funeral was the second part of the which started at the high school on Tuesday to send students a powerful message about the dangers of drunk driving. The staged demonstration was a faux funeral for the victim of the which involved student volunteers.
During the funeral, pallbearers wheeled in the casket that contained the victim from Tuesday's crash and dead students symbolically placed a rose on top of the casket. Two students sung a heartfelt version of Amazing Grace, which was followed by a carefully choreographed video describing the entire process of the staged crash and illustrating the impact on everyone's life the crash affected.
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Perhaps the most heartfelt part of the program was when the faux 'dead' students cried as they read hand-written letters to their family.
"You didn't teach me how to be a good person, you taught me how to be a great one," one student said. "Today I died, and I will never get a chance to give you one last hug. You were my world and always will be."
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The assembly concluded with a message from Gloria Morales, the mother of DUI -- the Newport Harbor High teen who was struck by a drunk driver-- telling students to always have a plan, be safe by taking care of one another and think about consequences.
"I don't want any of you in an alcohol situation either behind the wheel or a passenger," Morales said. "Remember today and what a bad decision can do to another person's life."
