Three ‘die’ in mock accident

Three students “died” this week and a fourth was “arrested” and facing a long jail term when the Clarendon High School Student Council staged a mock accident for a “Shattered Dreams” program.

Classmates and teachers on Monday morning observed the aftermath of the imaginary accident in which group of drunk students ran their vehicle in to the back of another student who had not been partying. The innocent student driving the second car, portrayed by junior Darbe Woodard, had her arm severed, was partially ejected, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

One passenger of the first car, portrayed by senior Trajen Johnson, was “killed” on impact, and the other passenger, played by Rolland, was loaded into a waiting LifeStar helicopter but later “died.” Senior Elizabeth O’Rear played the drunk driver and was freed from her vehicle by emergency personnel and then “arrested” and charged with two counts of intoxicated manslaughter.

Student Council member Samantha Sanderson told the Clarendon Lions Club Tuesday that the program had been in the works since October and was intended to get students to think about how what they do can affect people.

“Hopefully it showed kids that your actions have consequences and that it might not only affect you but also other people,” she said.

All four student actors were then secluded from their families and friends for the rest of the day and overnight at the First Baptist Church to drive home the impact that they were now “gone” from the student body. Their parents wrote letters to them, and then they wrote letters back to their parents.

On Tuesday morning, Pastor Lance Wood then led a “memorial” service at the CHS Auditorium that featured a presentation of photos of the “lost” students. The four students then rejoined the student body, and Rolland read the letters from and to his parents.

“It was a very moving time,” Sanderson said.

Participating in the “Shattered Dreams” project were the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department, Associated Ambulance Authority, North West Texas Hospital’s LifeStar, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Donley County Sheriff’s Office, Robertson Funeral Home, First Baptist Church, the high school and junior high student councils, the CHS FCCLA, the CHS Junior Historians, and the CHS National Honor Society.