In order to encourage juniors and seniors to think about the results of drinking and distracted driving, “Put It Down, Save A Life” (PIDSAL), a two-day program that features a retreat and a guest speaker, took place during the last week of April.

“We are not going to be able to stop people from drinking alcohol or texting, but we’re here to influence the way you think and make decisions while driving,” teacher Kimberly Pena said.

Senior Elizabeth Hennessey, who is now a committee head, also worked the event last year.

“This year, I was even more involved in the whole program,” Hennessey said. “I felt it made a difference in the past, so I wanted to be a part of that.”

Senior Jorge Johnson said the program was beneficial.

“Every life is precious,” he said. “No one deserves to lose someone they love from distracted driving.”

Pena helped organize the event.

“I wanted students to know that the choices they make when they are driving, or even riding in a car with another person, are impactful,” she said. “The choices we all make to drive distracted, whether that is from texting or drinking, affect everyone.”

Pena said the program provides students with a “realistic dramatization of the aftermath of distracted driving.”

“I believe that not only listening to other people’s experiences, but also being able to see and hear those events is impactful,” she said.

However, Pena said those who were directly involved in the retreat were affected more.

“The students in PIDSAL have even more experiences based on the activities they participated in the day before the assembly,” she said. “My hope is that they will spread the word to other students about driving free from any type of distraction.”

There were numerous activities that required organization beforehand.

“The assembly, the obituaries, the crosses, finding students that would help out, talking to the principals, schedules and just making sure everyone knew what was going on took a lot of planning,” Hennessey said.

Students from the district starred in a film that showed the reality of making the wrong decision while driving distracted.

“The video showed what would actually happen if an accident like that occurred,” Hennessey said. “It showed that things like that really happen to people.”

Pena said that the entire community is involved in these kinds of accidents.

“Our students were able to see, first hand, the numerous people that are involved,” Pena said. “Fire fighters, ambulance, police, nurses, doctors, hospital staff and other workers were on hand to help simulate the real life situation, and our students were able to see that free from the reality that goes along with these accidents.”

Part of the program included speaker Jaime Nash Wiens, who was driving distracted in 2010 and crashed, which lead to a fire where she was burned on over 70 percent of her body.

“My life changed in an instant,” Wiens said. “I have to wear my scars on the outside my entire life because of my decision.”

Wiens has created an organization called “TEXT L8R” to share her message.

“You or anybody else are worth more than any text or an update, so text later,” Wiens said.

After watching the presentation, senior Kayla Nichols was moved.

“The speaker was amazing,” Nichols said. “I couldn’t believe she went through those things. I will definitely be putting my phone away from now on.”

Hennessey said that the positive impact PIDSAL made was the most important thing.

“Knowing it actually made a difference in people’s lives makes it worth it,” she said.

Pena said it’s important for students realize why they should drive without distractions.

“When you lose a grandparent, you lose part of your past,” Pena said. “When you lost a parent, you lose a part of your present. But, when we lose a child or a teenager, we lose part of our future.”