PTMS PRESENTS:
DISNEY’S
THE LITTLE
MERMAID, JR.
O
n March 1-3, students at
Peters Township Middle
School presented Disney’s
The Little Mermaid, Jr. for
the community. The talented students
were directed by Mrs. Lorra Brannen and
entertained sold out shows throughout
the weekend. They also offered a special
Saturday morning performance that
featured a meet and greet for young
children with the cast following the
show.
“We got no troubles, Life is the
bubbles, Under the sea!”
Students observing the Mock Crash in action in 2016.
MOCK CRASH: STUDENTS WORKING
TO SAVE LIVES AT PTHS
BY LAUREN DUBANIEWICZ, STUDENT WRITER
P
eters Township High School’s
SADD club will hold its biennial
mock crash on Friday, April 20 at 9
a.m. The group, formally known as
Students Against Destructive Decisions,
has been hosting the demonstration
for about thirty years. The 2018 theme
focuses on the issue of under age
drinking and other life threatening
activities that have the potential to occur
at a prom after party.
Junior and senior students will line
up outside in the High School parking
lot the morning of the exposition,
somewhat aware of the events about
to unfold, but virtually unprepared for
the emotional distress of seeing their
friends and classmates suffer in such
an unnerving simulation. Using ultra-
realistic acting and props, including
fake blood, flying glass and shattered
vehicles, the mock crash reenacts exactly
what could happen if an impaired
driving accident took place.
Both the police and fire departments
will be called to survey the scene, clear
off the area, prohibit witnesses from
leaving, and administer alcohol tests.
Shortly after, an ambulance will arrive
with emergency personnel to check for
injuries on the students involved. The
wounded actors will be driven off to
Canonsburg Hospital, while Beinhauer
Funeral Home and Cremation Services
will take away other actors.
During this time, freshmen and
sophomores will participate in other
activities including watching a video
82
PETERS TOWNSHIP
presentation about destructive decisions
in the auditorium and gymnasium.
Krysten Neff and Sara McCarthy, the
two teacher sponsors of SADD, have
been coordinating and executing the
austere crash. Other notable contributors
include the PTHS Media Department,
media teacher Robin Frick, science
teacher Jason Zippay, EMT Dave
Holovack, Fire Department Deputy Chief
Michael McLaughlin, Police Department
Chief Doug Grimes, Police Captain
Jerry Maloni, head of ambulance Sandy
McMurray, and Scott and Tina Beinhauer.
Most of these collaborators have been
volunteering their time and efforts since
the project’s debut in 1988.
Neff hopes that the presentation will
make teens reconsider not only driving
under the influence, but also avoiding
all other forms of impaired driving. This
may include, but is not limited to, taking
prescription drugs, texting while behind
the wheel, forgoing a seatbelt, having
too many passengers in the car, and even
blasting the radio too loud. Peer pressure
from drinking and drug use oftentimes
becomes an alarmingly real threat to a
seemingly innocent teen.
“Some kids think it’s just ‘one night’ but
that one night could turn into forever,”
Neff emphasizes.
About the Author:
Lauren Dubaniewicz is
a sophomore at Peters
Township High School and
she writes for the school
magazine, Smoke Signals.