By Carrie Moore
While the sun may not have been shining, Wednesday, April 27, was still a perfect day to learn about consequences.
Over 250 students freshman students from Hill City, Custer, Hot Springs, Edgemont, Newcastle, Wyo., and Upton, Wyo., participated in Freshman Impact: Caught in the Moment, a mock accident and workshops that teach freshman students the dangers and consequences of driving distracted or under the influence, as well as suicide, abuse and bullying.
The program was held at Crazy Horse Memorial. This is the fifth year Custer has hosted Freshman Impact.
The event continues to grow, with students from Upton, Wyo., joining this year’s event.
“I hope that students can take something from it all and use that as a life lesson,” said Todd Albertson, one of the organizers. “I hope they see how dangerous it can be for themselves, as well for as everyone else.”
The day started small groups of students rotating through seven stations. The indoor stations included a drug presentation, suicide prevention, STD education and cyber bullying and sexting.
Outside, freshmen groups participated in team building, fire and medical rescue, where students caught a glimpse of what it would be like to rescue victims from a car accident, “Battle of the Belts,” where students raced to put their seat belts on, competing against other teams’ times, and the field sobriety test, a driving course where students complete while wearing “drunk goggles.”
“My favorite part was with the beer goggles, trying to watch people walk around and drive the side-by- side,” said Paige Myrick of Custer High School. “We were three times the legal limit and (the police officers) kept asking you questions all the time. It was really hard to answer them while trying to focus.”
“I liked driving with the drunk goggles,because I got to experience that vision,” said Conner Brown of Hill City High School. “Driving with drunk goggles wasn’t easy. And I also learned to not text and drive. You could have a fatal accident.”
Myrick also enjoyed the seat belt wars, saying her team finished in 52 seconds. However, the best team of the day finished in 47.
“I don’t know how they did it!” she said.
Custer High School freshman Austin Jones said he enjoyed the obstacle course and seat belt wars, but found the suicide prevention station to be eye-opening.
After lunch provided by Crazy Horse Memorial, students heard from Brooke Helton of Belle Fourche, sponsored by MADD, who told the story of her son, J.J., who died in a car accident last year.
Students then watched a skit performed by Custer students, setting up the mock crash accident.
“The skit and mock crash was good, too,” Myrick said. “The whole day was very informational.”
“The acting and makeup was pretty good. It was rbelievable,” said Austin Jones of Custer High School.
The mock crash involving two cars —injuring three and killing two — showed students the dangers of driving under the influence and driving distracted.
“I hope kids learn to not be stupid by drinking and driving,” said Mack Walker, one of the performers.
“I hope the kids don’t feel the pressure to drink,” said Anthony Jones, another performer.
Custer High School senior Mataiya Bebbington hasn’t been involved with Freshman Impact for four years, but she thought it would be fun to give back and share her experiences. She was one of the mock crash victims.
“I thought it would be fun and something different to do. I hadn’t been involved in it since I was a freshman, so it was interesting to go back and redo it as a senior,” she said. “When you’re a freshman, you think these situations will never apply to you or you will be in those situations, but I think once you go farther into high school, you see it does sometimes happen. Even though we showed an extreme of what can happen, I think (freshmen) will be faced with that situation sometimes. Hopefully they can decide what to do.”
“My favorite part was the skit and crash,” said Faith Yeargan of Hill City High School. “It showed us what could happen if we’re under the influence. I think it impacted all of us freshmen.”
Students saw first responders arrive at the scene and help victims, just as they would if it was a real accident. After the crash victims were rescued, a mock funeral was held with services provided by Chamberlain-McColleys, as well as a mock trial, with both the state’s attorney, a public defender and Seventh Circuit Judge Heidi Linngren presiding.
While the experience is geared toward students, law enforcement officers and first responders look forward to the event, as it allows them to connect with students in a less stressful atmosphere, as well as show them what consequences their decisions have.
Casey McNulty, Hill City High School, said he liked interacting with the first responders.
“The ambulance, fire department and police do care,” he said. “They’re not just there to get you in trouble.”
Yeargan also agreed, saying she was influenced to maybe become an EMT one day.
“Even if they thought the skit was corny or the crash scene wasn’t believable, I hope the kids saw that all these people came together to do something for them,” Bebbington said. “There are a lot of people out there who care for them and want to see them make good choices.”
To find out more about Freshman Impact: Caught in the Moment, visit freshmanimpact.com.