By Caroline Carter
Staff Writer

Seated around the Coppell High School parking lot on Thursday, students, faculty and community members watched the mock accident scene unfold before their eyes.

This year, the Shattered Dreams mock accident scene centered on a group of senior friends participating in their senior prom and the after party. Though the accident was not real, the performance of the students left a huge impact on students.

“It was very dramatic since the actors were everyone’s classmates and friends,” junior Lilly Balsamo said. “The video was very powerful especially with [former CHS Principal and current Coppell ISD assistant superintendent Brad Hunt]. Everyone was in shock when we realized he would be a part of the crash. Going outside was very surreal seeing the aftermath and the actors’ reaction.

“I think going into prom and throughout the year, this will always be in the back of our minds and could hopefully stop everyone from making the decision that has many consequences.”

Shattered Dreams is a daylong dramatization of an alcohol related crash. The event takes place every two years before prom occurs.  In addition to the mock accident scene, Shattered Dreams is intended to show the seriousness of drunk driving by having the Grim Reaper pull students out of class every 15 minutes.

With the help of many other administrators in the high school, assistant principal Sean Bagley played a large role in planning the event.

“This is my fourth time to help plan Shattered Dreams,” Bagley said. “Every time I watch it, it is still as difficult as the first time. During the crash scene, it gets hard and you just have to step away and get composure to remember what purpose of program is.”

Though the mock accident scene lasted less than an hour, months of extensive planning went into the planning of the crash. The Coppell Fire Department, Coppell Police Department, Rolling Oaks Funeral Home, CareFlight and the Students Against Destructive Decisions Club at CHS are a few of the groups assisting with the crash scene.

“We began planning for this back in October,” SADD sponsor Rhoda Hahn said. “This city has lots of history with Shattered Dreams so we already had a bunch of groups participating. Everyone in the community goes above and beyond to get the message across.”

Numerous actors played a part in the crash scene from students to police officers. Math teacher Kirk Richardson is serving as the role of Grim Reaper throughout the day.

“The crash was hard,” Richardson said. “A lot of the actors are in my classes so you get chocked up to see them hurting and having to endure this. It was almost like participating in a sports game. My legs felt weak, and throat got a big lump in it. It was hard to keep composure at some points.”

With actors such as Richardson, the crash scene seemed very real with numerous components to the performance including a CareFlight helicopter and fire trucks.

“I had heard a lot of stories about Shattered Dreams and the accident from older students, but I still didn’t know what to expect,” senior Tiia Turkulainen said. “The actors did a great job and sometimes it seemed real. It has been a very interesting day so far with people being pulled out of class. The whole performance was very impactful.”

With the powerful crash scene performance, many hope Shattered Dreams leaves a lasting impact on students.

“Shattered Dreams just shows that no one is invincible and this could happen to anyone,” Hahn said. “It does not matter if you are the best athlete or a celebrity. A drunk driving accident can happen to anyone.”