Prom could be the best night of your life, but if the correct safety precautions are not taken, it could also be your last. Prom is approaching quickly, so students and teachers are taking a step forward to ensure that everyone attending prom is staying safe.
While heading into the cafeteria there is a collection of posters that decorate the walls. These posters discuss the importance of prom safety, and the consequences that may happen when safety is not taken.
Raymond Donaghy, gym and health teacher at Woodland High School, decided to create these posters to tell students that there are safe and fun things to do that do not involve alcohol.
Juniors and Seniors in Donaghy’s health class did research on rules that Woodland has for prom, such as being breathalyzed at the door. These juniors and seniors also did research on consequences that could happen if a student gets caught with alcohol at Woodland as well as in the State of Connecticut. According to alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov, the punishment for a first offense driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) greater than .02 is a fine and sixth month suspension of the driver’s license that could be increased to one year if the BAC is over .08. The penalty for possession of alcohol by minors on both public and private property for a first offense is a fine no less than $200 and no more than $500. It has shown that sixteen people die everyday from drunk driving. Are all these consequences really worth it?
Donaghy says, “Statistics show that more teenagers die in the months of April, May, and June than any other months, and prom is one of the big events that goes on where kids start drinking, driving, and we have fatalities.”
As a result of after prom being canceled due to a dropping attendance, much concern is shown. The purpose of after prom was to have fun activities for students after they attended the prom. Donaghy says that the after prom was important because “it kept the kids here instead of going out some place and not being supervised.”
There are plenty of ways to have a safe prom night, but Donaghy shares his top three ways to stay safe.
“Number one is not to abuse drugs or alcohol, number two is to find activities that don’t involve alcohol that you can enjoy doing, and number three would be to consider the consequences or what could happen.”
Donaghy also shared his opinions about Day of Dead that happened on May 15th. Day of the Dead was an event that happened at Woodland where a student dressed as the Grim Reaper would touch a student to signify death. After the student was tapped they would get their face painted white and could not talk for the rest of the day.
Donaghy believes that this is a good program because it shows students how many people die just in one day from driving under the influence. “To see these numbers growing as the day goes on and more and more people walking around white faced, maybe it will make an impact to show that it truly is a serious issue.”
Staying safe at prom is very important because if caution is not taken, the consequences that may happen will affect everyone. To all of those attending the prom on May 22nd, have a fun and safe night.
