By Caroline Carter
Staff Writer

On Thursday, classes for juniors and seniors at Coppell High School were not like most days. With the Grim Reaper pulling students out of class every 15

minutes, students saw the large consequences of drunk driving.

In order to represent how frequently deaths resulting from drunk driving occur, a CHS police officer and the Grim Reaper visited classes to pull students out that were victims of DWI accidents. Students started to be pulled out at the start of school and will be continued to be pulled until the end of the day.

“When [junior] Mikki Hoffman was pulled out of band this morning with the Grim Reaper, it was very powerful for everyone in the room,” friend and junior Sydney Owens said. “Seeing someone that you are so close to was hard. I have known Mikki for a long time and have played drums with her since middle school. It became so real with her. The sudden realization that something like this could happen to anyone hit all of us.”

Throughout the day, the Living Dead’s obituaries, which were written by the student’s parents, have been posted in the hallways throughout the day for teachers and students to read.

“As a parent and teacher, it is very difficult to read the obituaries,” Spanish teacher Janine Kay said. “It is hard seeing old and current students with their faces painted white and watching them go through the day. It is a difficult day for everyone and very hard for teachers.”

After the students are pulled out of class, the Grim Reaper and police officer escorts them to the “War Room” where their makeup is applied, and they are given a Shattered Dreams shirt to wear. The Living Dead have their phones taken up and must remain silent for the remainder of the day.

“My job was to hang the obituaries in the hallway after the person was announced dead,” junior Students Against Destructive Decisions member Holly Swaldi said. “It is really sad to read some of the obituaries especially when you know the person. The crash scene was also powerful and touched everyone watching. There were some SADD members helping at the crash site as well. Other members have walked the Living Dead to and from their classrooms, and then there are a few who are hanging up wreathes outside the school.”

For parents who are assisting in the day’s events, reading other children’s obituaries is especially hard.

“Having a child die is something unimaginable for any parent,” Assistance League of Coppell member Jennifer McGraw said. “I am sure it was extremely hard for all of these parents to write the obituaries. Shattered Dreams is an emotional day for both the students and their parents.”

The Living Dead and students who participated in the mock accident scene will attend a retreat after school today to relax and discuss the day’s events. The retreat will occur at the Coppell North Lake College campus.