Prom is a very special time of the year. They get their tickets and order their tuxedos. And, finally, they go to the dance and being with all their friends together for one of the last times before graduation. However, Prom has been known across America to be ruined by high schoolers drinking alcohol and eventually getting into an accident that can either seriously damage them or result in death.

For the past ten years, MHS and others in the Rockwood schools have created reenactments of a drinking and driving situation to students to show the absolute dangers and horrors of choosing to drink.

Valerie Kamhi, Special School District teacher for Rockwood, has been in charge of setting up the annual “Shattered Dreams” Prom Crash Re-enactment since 2002. She is the coordinator for “Safe Celebrations,” a program created to help prevent drinking and driving through educating high schoolers the depictions of driving drunk.

“We have a ton of things we do to help get the message out there,” Kamhi said. “With all four other high schools in the district, we put messages on the marquees. We email all the parents to warn them that prom is coming up and we want them to take proper precaution for their kids to stay safe. We put signs up on all the doors in the buildings to come home safe and we also put up signs outside the school buildings for our Alert Now  messages.”

Kamhi said the community works really hard together to come up with these safety measures to help prevent injuries and deaths among the students.

“We get everyone involved,” Kamhi said. “We get the Monarch fire department to help bring fire trucks and ambulances to the site. We also get help from the “Arch,” where they bring the helicopter to help simulate an airlift. We get D&L Rideout to help tow away the crashed cars. We also get help from the Buchholz Funeral home to bring in the hearse for to show that the student being put away for the future funeral.”

Kamhi said the reenactment was really expensive to get together, but, for MHS and the other high schools in the district, it didn’t cost them a thing.

“The people we work with in the community give Rockwood in-kind donations. They do this, because they want to help keep kids safe and alive and don’t want to see them highly injured or dead if they didn’t do anything to warn them about it. For example, the “Arch” that provides the helicopter, the fuel just to get it from downtown to Chesterfield is $2000-$3000 dollars’ worth of fuel, but they do it for free, because they want to help us make a difference.  We also get everyone together at the beginning of August around the first day of school to plan ahead of time for the reenactment.”

Kamhi said teachers from different departments also work together to help create the Prom crash reenactment.

Dennis Kane, teacher for MHStv and coach for speech & debate, and Judi Greene, Performing Arts teacher, collaborate with Kamhi to help make the reenactment as real as possible.

“We used to broadcast live,” Kane said. “However, due to difficulties with the school’s wiring and cable, we stopped going live about four to five years ago (around 2007 or 2008) and we film the day before (Thursday) for the Friday before Prom.”

Kane said the parts and roles for prom students in the reenactment are picked by Mrs. Greene.

Cassidy Wrap, senior, was one of the few students chosen to play a part as a woman attending prom, but witnessed a terrible accident due to drunk driving.

“The role was very surreal,” Wrap said. “When you get into the crashed car (before shooting starts), it felt so real as if I was actually in that situation.”

Wrap said her role was to be an injured woman from the accident and, then, she was taken to the ambulance to show audiences that she was seriously hurt. When she was taken and put inside the ambulance, Wrap said, even though it’s just acting, the ambulance felt very scary as if it was reality.

Steven Amos, senior, had a main role in the reenactment. He played the intoxicated driver who collided within the other prom dates driving.

“I was ‘the drunk’ in the crash,” Amos said. “When I was in the role of playing the intoxicated driver, I realized how scary it was to be the drunk driver responsible for the accident. After witnessing the accident, I said to myself that I’d never want to do it and I never will.”

Amos said being the intoxicated driver was a very intense part. During the reenactment, he was placed in hand-cuffs and put away into the back of the police car to show audiences the consequences of drinking and driving.

Amos also said that he is ware that some students won’t take the reenactment and messages seriously, but this did not stop Amos’ confidence to still continue his role.

“As long as I can help one person, that’s all the difference right there,” Amos said.

Amos lastly said he was really happy he got the role and he is also really happy that the reenactment will inspire others to follow the message of staying sober and safe.

Courtney Crutchfield, junior, was effected by the reenactment as she was one of the 100-200 witnesses who watched the reenactment while shooting took place.

“It had a very serious tone,” Crutchfield said. “It made me more aware and to the people what can happen if you choose to drink and drive.”

Crutchfield said the experience was really life like and it had a big impact on her for what to be careful of on prom night. She also said it was very realistic to what could happen if students were drunk driving.

“I really enjoyed it, though,” Crutchfield said. “I don’t drink anyway, but the crash was very convincing for me to stay safe and sober.”

The message for the crash was quite simple: Students, Please Come Home from Prom Safe and Sober. That’s what the reenactment, time and effort is all about.

“Just enjoy the prom with your friends,” Kane said. “Don’t ruin it with drinking and drugs that will damage your mental abilities now and later on in life.”