By Debbie Irmen and Ann Austin, Albert Lea Tribune

A large number of Albert Lea High School students willingly &uot;died&uot; Monday to send a message to their peers not to drink and drive.

They were part of a program called &uot;Every 15 Minutes,&uot; which takes its name from national statistical information &045; a person is killed every 15 minutes by a drunk driver.

Organizers hope the day’s events, which included a mock accident, will make students think twice before drinking and driving, particularly following prom this weekend and with upcoming graduation activities, said Albert Lea High School Social Worker Kim Danner.

&uot;It’s an alcohol-awareness program,&uot; she said. &uot;The message comes down to personal responsibility and the realization this could occur and people really need to think about their decisions. The bottom line is we want people to be safe.&uot;

Timing for the alcohol awareness program is relevant with prom scheduled this weekend, she said, adding prom and graduation are statistically high-risk events for teens who combine drinking and driving.

As part of the program, 26 high schoolers chose to &uot;die&uot; and were pulled from their classes, one every 15 minutes, throughout the school day. Their parents wrote their &uot;obituaries,&uot; which were read by a uniformed police officer as the students were led from class by the Grim Reaper. A white rose was left on the &uot;dead&uot; student’s chair.

Students returned to class wearing white make-up and a black T-shirt to resume a day of &uot;the living dead.&uot;

A grief counselor helped students who experienced &uot;intense emotional reaction&uot; to the events, said Danner.

The culmination of the day’s events was a mock accident involving two cars, in which another couple students were &uot;killed&uot; or &uot;injured,&uot;

and either taken by hearse to a funeral home or the medical center. One student was airlifted to a major medical facility because of injuries

received, and the &uot;drunk driver&uot; was given a sobriety test and hauled away in a squad car for processing at the police station.

Students flooded the hill and fields along Y.H. Hanson Avenue to watch as emergency responders provided medical aid to the students &uot;involved&uot; in the accident.

Albert Lea High School Junior Carly Habana was a victim in the staged scene and laid strewn across the hood of a car. She took her role seriously.

&uot;It’s pretty scary,&uot; she said. &uot;You know that things like this really do happen.&uot;

Amid the anxious voices of the accident victims and first responders, teenagers watching the reenactment responded to the scene playing out before them.

&uot;It’s kind of amazing to see how much destruction it can cause,&uot; said Junior Nic Gaines, who has known people involved in real accidents, but the reality of the scene helped him understand what really occurs.

&uot;You don’t really know unless you see it,&uot; he said.

Juniors Lacey Karsjens and Kaylinn Talamantes know how it feels to have a friend injured in an accident.

&uot;We’ve been there,&uot; said Karsjens. &uot;I saw the whole thing.&uot;

The girls watched the scene intently and said they were glad it was staged for students.

&uot;I don’t think most kids take it seriously,&uot; said Karsjens.

&uot;Teenagers think that they’re invincible,&uot; Talamantes said.

&uot;It’s already been drilled into me, but this helps reinforce it,&uot; said Junior Tristan Tufte. &uot;They’re doing a really good job of acting.&uot;

&uot;They’re actually treating this as if it was real,&uot; said junior Breann Sorenson.

One student said he’d take extra care when driving this weekend while attending the prom.

&uot;I’ll be cautious of other drivers,&uot; said, Josh Diaz, a senior.

However, caution should extend beyond prom weekend, said Gaines.

&uot;I could get hit by a drunk driver anytime.&uot;

To further the reality, the students who &uot;died&uot; Monday were sequestered from family and friends until this morning’s program, where their obituaries were read. They were required to turn in all pagers or cell phones to eliminate the temptation of contact with their family and friends overnight.

&uot;We wanted to make this as realistic as possible,&uot; said Danner. &uot;And the kids and their parents have been so great. It’s pretty intense.&uot;

Given the intensity of the program, Danner has difficulty believing students won’t be affected by Monday’s events.

&uot;I can’t imagine kids won’t think about their decision, she said. &uot;Because they may not hurt themselves &045; the risk is also for innocent people who are in the wrong place at the wrong time.&uot;

She also hopes it opens discussion between parents and their kids.

&uot;We hope parents will see this and ask what happened at school,&uot; she said. &uot;Opening that door of conversation can be difficult and we hope this helps.&uot;

The &uot;dead&uot; students returned to school today for an all-school assembly to hear two speakers: one person lost a daughter to a drunk driver; and the other speaker was a drunk driver who caused the death of another in a car accident.

Funding to present the $3,000 program was provided by Alliant Energy Foundation, Community Education Youth Development and the Law Enforcement Center.

In addition to the students and their families, numerous businesses and agencies participated in making the program come alive, said Danner. They included: members of the Albert Lea Law Enforcement Center, Freeborn County Sheriff’s Department, Mayo Health System-Naeve Hospital Ambulance Services, Emergency Room and Mayo One, Albert Lea Fire Department, Bonnerup Funeral Services and others.

&uot;It’s a lot a work (to plan this program),&uot; she said. &uot;So many people have volunteered their time and services. Community support for this program has been phenomenal.&uot;