COMMUNITY BENEFIT
“I’ve committed to being a safe driver, and I’m determined to stop my friends from drinking or texting and driving,” he says. Student victims who were selected to participate—about 30 in all—and their parents were prepped prior to and after the event. During a retreat and debriefings at the end, some students revealed that they had indeed gotten behind the wheel after drinking, and they shared regret as well as profound relief that they hadn’t hurt anyone. “Everyone knows drinking or texting while driving is bad, but they don’t think anything bad is going to happen to them or affect another life,” said Ahrah Ko, a senior at North High School, student leader of “Every 15 Minutes” and president of the HRA. “This program showed us the harsh reality. It was a good life lesson for me.” Teacher Jenna Murata, the HRA advisor who spearheaded the program at North, attributed its success to students like Ko, Ye