Students at Killingly High School were given an emotional wake-up call at an assembly Tuesday on teen driving safety.
The presentation by Mourning Parents Act, or !MPACT, included testimonials from two mothers who have lost children to motor vehicle accidents.
“A lot of people were crying,” said student Rachel Houle, 16. “It really got to me. It makes me see,
‘What if this happens to me?’ ”
The assembly came during National Teen Driving Safety Week, which is Oct. 18 to 24.
!MPACT is a nonprofit organization based in Connecticut and founded by three mothers who lost children in separate car crashes in an 11-day period in December 2002.
Sherry Chapman detailed how her life has changed since her son, Ryan Ramirez, 19, died in a December 2002 car crash in Hebron.
Chapman, of Hartford, paced across the auditorium stage, glancing frequently at the photograph of her son at the side of the stage and taking breaks to regain composure as she told her story.
Her story took students from the phone call informing her of the accident to planning her son’s funeral to how much she misses Ramirez today.
Donna Apruzzese, of Wolcott, told students of the “hole in her heart, which will never heal” after her children, Anthony, 17, and Jessica, 14, were killed in an October 2007 crash that also killed another teenager.
“Please make good decisions and drive safely, because you will be sadly missed,” Apruzzese told the students.
Houle said she would like to see more programs like !MPACT’s in the school. The school holds a mock accident each spring before prom and graduation season, but teacher Bonnie Beland said she organized the presentation to address the dangerous issue sooner in the school year.
Beland said the presentation is also part of a new “advisory intervention” program at the school that features four presentations to students during the year on various topics of concern.
Beland said students will discuss their reactions to the assembly in small groups on Thursday.
Student Josh Fortin described the testimonies as “very moving” and said other students said they wanted to text their mothers and tell them they love them.
“Seeing these families and what they’ve had to go through, its definitely a big eye-opener,” Fortin said. “I’m hoping a lot of kids see drinking and driving is not a joke.”
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Tragic stories make an !MPACT
As Killingly High School students entered the auditorium on Oct. 20, they laughed and joked as they took their seats. Warning signs should have alerted them that perhaps this was not ‘just another assembly,’ as strains of ‘Amazing Grace’ played and staff ensured that tissues were available , but at 9 a.m. on a Monday morning , talk about weekend activities took precedence over what was to come.
In an assembly organized by Technology Educator Bonnie Beland, the entire high school was about to get a wake up call. October 18-24 is National Teen Driver Safety Week, and, said Beland, October is statistically the month that contains the most teenage driving tragedies . In answer to that, Beland invited Sherry Chapman and Donna Jenner to come and speak to the entire school.
Chapman, of Coventry, is a founding member of !MPACT, a nonprofit organization created by the families of three teens who were killed within an 11-day period and a 25-mile radius of one another in December 2002. Chapman’s son, Ryan, was 19 when he was killed.
Jenner, of Wolcott, lost her children, Anthony, 17, and Jessica, 14, in Oct. 2007. The crash also took the life of another teenaged girl.
“This presentation is so powerful… they should be here every year,” said Beland. While !MPACT is involved with teen driving awareness, mock accidents and other prevention presentations at the school, Beland feels that the direct approach is the most powerful, “The mothers speak directly to the students …they make it very personal.” Beland also felt it was particularly important that all grades were in attendance , noting that not just drivers are affected by unsafe practices, since high school students of all ages enter vehicles and have important choices to make. “If we change the thinking of one child, we will have improved our world.”
Once all of the students had taken their seats, it only took moments before there was near silence. Chapman stood on the stage, sharing the tragic and untimely story of her son’s death, and soon the only sound was the quiet, steady voice of a mother who has lost her only son.
“Moms always make things right, and this was one thing I could not make right,” Chapman said, describing how she felt as she looked at her son’s body – something encouraged by hospital staff, “I couldn’t touch him,” she said, her voice catching, “I was afraid to hurt him.”
Later, tears fell in the audience as she explained, “That’s how I care for Ryan now…instead of doing his laundry or making him dinner. I make things right for him in the cemetery.”
Jenner took the microphone from Chapman to share the story of her loss and to pass on what !MPACT hopes will be enough to keep kids safe. The hole in Jenner’s heart will never heal but, “We get a lot of great feedback,” she said, “We’re real. We’re mothers. Our kids are just like them.”
On Thurs. morning, Oct. 22, students met in classes to discuss the !MPACT assembly and to fill out feedback forms for the organization.
Scott Gagnon, 16, has had his driver’s license for five months. “It reminds you to think about it,” he said, “to be safe.” Especially memorable about the !MPACT, Presentation of Mourning Parents assembly was the video montage . “It was the most touching,” agreed fellow student 16-year-old Nick Aolaire.
Kayla Blanchard, 16, doesn’t have her license yet – she’s saving up – but knows she can count on her mom or a dependable friend for a ride if an unsafe situation ever presents itself. “We have to be more careful…more cautious,” she said, “Be smart with who you drive with.” She found it very sad to hear the two parents tell their stories and said that if she could speak to them she would say, “I wish that there weren’t people out there that weren’t responsible . No one deserves to die like that.”
To learn more about !MPACT, or Mourning Parents ACT, Inc., visit www. mourningparentsact.org. |
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Mothers of teens killed in crashes warn Killingly studentsNorwich Bulletin
Killingly, Conn. —
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| Connecticut Law Tribune -- October 12, 2009 From Mourning Comes A Father’s Message |
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The Bristol Press (bristolpress.com), Serving Bristol, CT Sunday, August 23, 2009 2:36 AM EDT By LISA BACKUS
URL: http://www.bristolpress.com/articles/2009/08/24/news/doc4a90abc5b6cf4852084630.prt © 2009 bristolpress.com, a Journal Register Property |
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Reminder News -- April 22, 2008 !MPACT sobers teens at forum Journal Inquirer -- April 17, 2008 Reality of unsafe driving brought to life New legislation on horizon for young drivers -- March 13, 2008 December 14-20, 2008 -- Governor Rell recognizes !MPACT in declaration of Teenage Safe Driving Awareness Week in Connecticut! Click here to view the Official Statement. Mothers Who Lost Kids Seek To Reach Teens -- WFSB Channel 3 -- November 22, 2007 http://www.wfsb.com/family/14667411/detail.html Teen Driving Issues Featured on NPR http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wnpr/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1172013 Beyond the Headlines -- Teen Driving Discussion with !MPACT and Legislators (Fox 61) -- October 14, 2007 Fox 61 News Coverage -- September 24, 2007 http://fox61.trb.com/news/local/video/wtic-news-teendrivingprogram092407,0,6894267.htmlstory?track=impact Program To Fight Teenage Driving Deaths Members Of Impact Hope To Become A National Model NBC 30 News Coverage -- September 24, 2007 http://www.nbc30.com/news/14187913/detail.html WFSB Channel 3 News Coverage -- September 24, 2007 http://www.wfsb.com/health/14192785/detail.html Fox 61 News Coverage of !MPACT Presentation in Newington, CT -- May 2007 Woodstock Villager -- July 6, 2007 'Survive the Drive' Moms Relive Tragedies to Save Teens's Lives Hartford Courant -- May 19, 2007 (Sat.) / May 20, 2007 (Early Sun. Ed.) Torn By Grief, They Hope To Save Lives Reminder News -- May 15, 2007 !MPACT makes students think Middletown Press -- May 20, 2006 Loss of a Child The Hartford Courant -- April 6, 2006 Parents Tell Of Their Losses KillingworthToday.com -- November 24, 2005 A parent's worst nightmare Middletown Press -- November 24, 2005 Mother delivers sobering message Farmington Post (Vol. 1, Issue 4) -- May 26, 2005 Driving the reality home (p. 1) Reliving their pain to help others understand (p. 6) !MPACT brings about awareness (p. 6) The Chronicle (Vol. 123, No. 122) -- May 24, 2005 A bloody lesson for students: Mock car accident puts face on statistics The Middletown Press (Vol. 121, No. 220) -- May 6, 2005 Teen's talk tells of law's need The Herald -- Feb. 13, 2005 UpBeat program warns parents of teen inhalant use The Herald / The Bristol Press -- Dec. 16, 2004 Moms share pain to save other students / Parents who have lost children to car accidents speak out to students CT Valley News -- Dec. 16, 2004 This week is Teenage Safe Driving Awareness Week Chronicle (p. 3) -- Dec. 15, 2004 Mock crash drills home vital message Newington Town Crier (p. 3) -- Nov. 25, 2004 Three mourning moms make an impact The Herald (No. 266, p. A5) -- Nov. 20, 2004 Three mourning moms make an impact Glastonbury Life (Vol. 5, Issue 7, p. 47) -- Nov. 4, 2004 Neighbors: After a personal loss, mothers unite to prevent unnecessary teenage deaths The Hartford Courant (4N, p. B5) -- Oct. 8, 2004 Mothers Whose Sons Died In Car Crashes Offer Warnings Valley News (Vol. 9, Issue 37) -- Sept. 9, 2004 Teen driving issues raised from annual golf tournament Journal Inquirer, (p. 5) -- Sept. 9, 2004 !MPACT makes impact with high school kids Newington Life (Vol. 8, Issue 9) -- Jun 4, 2004 In Focus: After a personal loss, mothers unite to prevent unnecessary teenage deaths Bloomfield Journal (Vol. 28, Issue 23) -- June 4, 2004 Three mothers: Their stories unfold before rapt audience Reminder Community News -- May 28, 2004 Mock Car Crash Stuns Student 'Witnesses' in Colchester Youth Action Council Event Chronicle (Vol. 122, No. 115) -- May 14, 2004 Parents address horrors of drunken driving The Hartford Courant -- Jan. 31, 2004 Moms Take Strong Message To Teens |
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