A SERIOUS 'WHAT IF...' LITTLE GLIMPSE OF DEATH MAY MAKE PROM SAFER.Byline: Paul O'Donoghue Staff Writer MOORPARK - For Parris Stevens, Tuesday's mock funeral for her son and three other Moorpark High School Moorpark High School, located in Moorpark, California, is a public high school in the Moorpark Unified School District and currently has an enrollment of 2,478 students.[1] students supposedly killed in a drunk-driving crash on prom night hit a little too close to home. ``It is a parent's worst nightmare,'' said Parris, whose son, Doug, is an 18-year-old senior. ``Kids always think, `It won't happen to me,' and this is good because it shows it could happen to anyone.'' As a funeral invocation invocation, n a prayer requesting and inviting the presence of God. was read, the realism of the scene at Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. Public Cemetery was startling star·tle v. star·tled, star·tling, star·tles v.tr. 1. To cause to make a quick involuntary movement or start. 2. To alarm, frighten, or surprise suddenly. See Synonyms at frighten. right down to the steel casket on green matting, weeping weeping said of frozen meat on thawing; the fluid that runs away as thawing proceeds. It contains myoglobin, salts and protein and is fluid leaked from muscle fibers ruptured by the formation of crystals during the freezing stage. The amount of weeping, and it can represent 2. parents, students, and even one of the grief counselors who appeared genuinely moved. The funeral was part of an elaborate program organized by the high school and Police Department in advance of Saturday's prom at the Universal Sheraton Hotel in Universal City. Three months in the planning, the program - which was videotaped by students and will be shown to juniors and seniors on Thursday - was designed to be as realistic as possible, with shots at the ``crash'' site, hospital, police station and cemetery. ``We want to educate the students about the dangers of alcohol and driving,'' said Moorpark police Sgt. Ron Nelson Ron Nelson is a composer of both classical and popular music and a retired music academic. He was born in Joliet, Illinois, on December 14, 1929. After earning bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester in New , who coordinated the program that was devised by senior Christine Schnieber, 18, an ASB ASB Asbestos ASB Arbeiter Samariter Bund (German medical help organisation) ASB Anti-Social Behaviour ASB Accounting Standards Board (UK FRC) ASB Aarhus School of Business commissioner. ``That's the principal idea behind this. We don't want the students in our community to be killed or hurt in alcohol-related crashes.'' Under the scenario devised by organizers, the supposed fatal crash was caused when a drunk student and his prom date rear-ended another car carrying three other prom-goers. None of the student ``victims'' was aware of what was going on before being pulled out of class Tuesday morning. However, their parents had secretly agreed to be involved several weeks earlier. Several were videotaped as police officers informed them of their child's death, while the driver's parents were filmed as they were informed of his culpability culpability (See: culpable) in the deaths of the four others. The parents were also at the cemetery, where they read emotional farewell notes to their children. In return, the students read their own letters of regret, with several breaking down and weeping. The whole exercise was a powerful deterrent to drinking and driving, students said. ``It's just so shocking to see the whole program,'' said Doug Stevens, who plans to go to Pepperdine University Pepperdine University is a private institution of higher learning affiliated with the Church of Christ in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States. The university's location overlooks the Pacific Ocean and is adjacent to the city limits of Malibu. in the fall to study business administration. ``If we can get kids to think about the whole thing . . . it would be more scary to them.'' ``One of the things that every teen thinks is, it's not going to happen to you,'' said senior Chris Bucka, 18. ``And after watching the video (of the parents), now you would never even think of drinking and driving at all. It's not going to happen.'' CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- color in Verb 1. color in - add color to; "The child colored the drawings"; "Fall colored the trees"; "colorize black and white film" color, colorise, colorize, colour in, colourise, colourize, colour Simi edition only) During a mock funeral, complete with coffin and cemetery, supposedly dead crash victim Monica Iglecia, center, reads a letter to her parents, seated. (2 -- color in Simi edition only) James and Parris Stevens listen to their son Doug read a letter he wrote to his family after his mock death. (3 -- ran in Simi edition only) Jennifer Sonnenberg and Kristel Morreale try to hold back tears as they listen to their parents read their mock eulogies. Eric Grigorian/Special to the Daily News |
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