MULTIMEDIA Annual ‘Operation Prom Safe’ presentation touches on the dangers of drunken driving

Seniors in Pattonville’s Thespian Troupe took part in the annual Operation Prom Safe that occurs during Homeroom for juniors and seniors. The point of the presentation is to show how although prom is a night to have fun and celebrate, drinking while doing so can put their lives at stake.

William Pirrie played the role of the drunken driver, with deceased date Haley Reynolds ejected onto the hood of the car. The other victims of the crash were portrayed by Louis Johnson, Elleni Yeshiwas, and Devon Linhardt.

The actors all agree that it felt pretty real.

“It was very exciting, yet very scary,” Johnson said. “I didn’t know what to expect and when the cops and EMTs started to show up, I was freaking out.”

Reynolds has the same sentiment.

“It was kind of weird because I had to stay completely still and it was cold, but it was also scary because I felt everything happening around me but I couldn’t do anything because I was dead of course,” she said. “It was kind of nerve-wracking.”

The docudrama ended with assistant principal Mr. Gene Grimshaw and the surrounding students thanking the Pattonville Fire Department, Maryland Heights Police Department, and DePaul Hospital for working together each year to show students what would happen in the event of a car crash, and giving them preventative measures.