“Shattered Dreams” deadline gets extension

UPDATE – The “Shattered Dreams program committee has extended its deadline for applications. See the original article below for details on the program. The Google form application will be closing soon. In addition, Associate Superintendent Holly Ferguson said freshmen and sophomores are welcome to apply, but juniors and seniors will be considered first.

The “Shattered Dreams” program organizers are looking for student participants whose individual acting and role-playing work may have a real impact on the number of lives lost in alcohol-related accidents. The application window ends Friday, Nov. 16.

The program aims to inform students and parents about the dangers of drinking and driving. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, 29 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. “Shattered Dreams,” which has a goal of taking that number to zero deaths, will be a precursor to prom and will be held Tuesday, Mar. 26.

“It was started to try and make awareness to students about drinking and driving,” Assistant Principal Julie Brantley said. “We wanted to use it in reference  mainly to prom and then again at graduation.”

Students must be juniors or seniors to participate, and they are required to complete a one-page essay along with the application. Students can request applications in the office.

Application Link

To apply for the Shattered Dreams Program, click here.

“This year it will be like it was in 2015,” Brantley said. “It will be staged out front, and we’re going to have an ambulance come in.”

In addition, students who are a part of the event will attend an overnight retreat after the demonstration.

“The purpose of the student retreat is to increase student knowledge regarding the consequences and myths surrounding youth alcohol use,” associate superintendent Holly Ferguson said. “The retreat also provides a temporary feeling of loss for the parents of Shattered Dreams participants.”

Ferguson said more than 175 schools have implemented the program and several schools have conducted a program evaluation.

“More than 2,000 students have completed surveys before and after participating in the program (pre-test and post-test),” Ferguson said. “Results from these surveys indicate that student awareness of the risks and consequences of underage drinking and impaired driving increases after the program.”

Students can apply to play the role of the “Living Dead,” crash victims and the drunk driver. The “Living Dead” will be taken out of the classroom throughout the day by the “Grim Reaper.”

“We are going to take the statistic of the number of students who lose their lives to drugs, alcohol and car crashes,” Brantley said. “We are going to pull out the students from the classroom to represent that, and they will have makeup done and go back to class.”

The program will be portrayed through a series of videos prior to the event. Audio/Video Production teacher Michael Logan said making the film will have a deeper and richer experience for the students.

“We will be producing short videos to show the school before the experience,” Logan said. “Afterwards we will combine that to make a full narrative video.”

The program aims to impact not only students but also parents and the community.

“If we can just get one child to realize that drinking and driving is not what you need to be doing in life,” Brantley said. “It’s going to impact people.”