By Tobi Osibodu, 42Fifty Staff Videographer
As Prom Season nears, schools worry about the dangers of post Prom festivities. Many school districts must deal with the loss of students due to drunk drivers and the risk is always elevated by events like Prom and Homecoming.
As an attempt to prevent any Oswego High School students from being the cause of any said accidents, the Senior class was asked to attend a presentation on the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs. This presentation was organized by Mrs. Larsen and Mrs. Keto and took place Wednesday, March 21 during a special 2b period while the Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior classes pre-bubbled for the upcoming PSAT/NMSQT and SAT testing in April.
Mr. Shelly Anderson, a representative from the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (AAIM) led this presentation. Mr. Anderson discussed the dangers of driving drunk accompanied by the story of how he lost his daughter, Jenni Lynn, to a drunk driver in 1997.
Jenni was a varsity swimmer and an active member of student council at Waubonsie Valley High School. Unfortunately when she left early in the morning to participate in Homecoming traditions, she and two of her friends were struck by a drunk driver at the intersection of Eola and New York Street in Aurora, 20 years ago. Read more about her story here.
AAIM was founded in 1982 because the state of Illinois lacked any drunk driving organizations. According to their mission statement, AAIM aims to “prevent deaths and injuries caused by intoxicated motorists in Illinois and to help victims and their families.” They do this by educating people on the dangers of driving drunk and making them understand the effects that that can have on the families of victims.
Here are some alcohol related incident statistics from AAIM in 2014: In Illinois 40% of crash fatalities were alcohol related and there was approximately one alcohol related crash fatality every 53 minutes, nationally. In the United States, 3,885 young drivers were involved in fatal crashes and 24% of them were drinking. Of those young drivers who were drinking, 47% were not wearing seatbelts.
Oswego High School students are very highly encouraged to not participate in any illicit activities including alcohol following Prom and also reminded to exercise caution when driving home. Remember, your stupid decisions can greatly affect the lives of others.
Reminder: Prom tickets will no longer be sold online. They are being sold in the Athletic Office before school, during first hour (for students with late arrival), eighth hour (for students with early dismissal), and after school until 3. You can pay with cash card and check and sales go through April 6, 2018. Contact Mrs. Larsen or Mrs. Keto with any questions.
Tobi Osibodu covers the Oswego High School Fine Arts and student activities. He can be contacted at 21000215@students.sd308.org or you can contact the publication directly at 42fifty@sd308.org
Student Publication of Oswego High School, Oswego, IL
