Pioneer Valley HS
May 1, 2017
Issue 134 vol. 2
A Take on Every 15 Minutes from Those that Were Involved
On April 28, 2017 we witnessed a terrible scene at Pioneer Valley High School. A drinking and driving crash scene had been constructed involving two cars crash and their occupants. There were both injuries and fatalities. The purpose of the exercise was to show how potential effects from dring or distracted driving. People can lose their lives to drinking and driving. When you get into a car under the influence you are not only putting your life on the line, but you are also putting someone else's life at risk. By experiencing this scene it made me realize how important it is to not drink and drive. People you love can be taken away so fast. If you arer drinking and driving and get into a car accident you will get into huge trouble. Is it really worth taking someone's life away by drinking and driving? You are no just killing one person, but you are also hurting their loved ones. Imagine losing one of your loved ones and how much it would affect you. Before getting into a car always remember to think about others! Never get into a car under the influence or drive distracted!
"I really think it will make them think twice about drinking and driving and that we really need to be careful and responsible and know how to act in certain situations. The impact of the students is really important to me and I want to make a difference in someone's life and if I can save someone's life now rather than when they are dead. I have not been involved in a car accident" - Viviana Salazar (11)
"With Prom and everything going on it is very important for them to know that drinking, driving and texting is very dangerous and it could end their live. It is a little bit of awareness for them to be safe and it is important for everybody and everybody in their families because it can be a big effect on them while driving. When Mayra told me about I wanted to do it because I like to help out people and this is a very big part of PV and I want to be part of it and it is a very important message and I am very happy doing it. I've never been in a car accident and I am so glad I haven't" -Astrid Diego(11)
"I think definitely during Prom Season and even homecoming season throughout the year that it will influence them. Students don't take into account just how much drunk driving really affects us. The student body does know that it occurs, but we never really think about it happening in our life until it actually does. I think it is really going to put in perspective just how deeply people get affected by drunk driving and losing a friend and the people we know every day. What the statistics show that every 15 minutes someone dies from drunk driving and it is something that our school really needs to hear after having lost so many students throughout our time here in high school. And going as a Senior I know I have been affected by losing people I've known. I just think it is really going to put into perspective about hey this is what is going on and this is happening in my life and it happens somewhere else. I decided to do this because it is something the student body needs to hear and it would be a great way to raise awareness of an issue that affects our population and I just really want to make an impact on going out as a Senior. I wanted to be a part of the program that has a great cause and it will help a lot of people and hopefully not be in these types of situations. I've personally have not been in a car accident, but my mother was and that really affected me how she was left after the car accident and seeing other families get into car accidents. Me myself witnessing car accidents happen and I know it is something that is very traumatic and sometimes people are left with a very intense fear of driving and this is a good impact people who have been involved and also me from my perspective" -Daniel Segura(12)
"I personally think this will have a huge effect on the students because we don't want students out here drinking and driving because it is very dangerous on many levels. I decided to do this because my sister was a part of this the first time they did it at PV and also because I thought that I could make a difference myself so I joined. I'm lucky to say that I haven’t, but I know several friends that have been in a car accident and I am also sad to say that they didn't make it" -Odalys Santos (12)
"I think it is going to be very emotional and powerful for them because they don't really think about it ahead of times and I think it is going to open their minds to this situation. I thought it was important to show people the dangerous of frunk drivers and to warn people and that it is not safe to do and it is not good. I thought it was important to tell people that. And I have not been in a car accident"
- Devon Alexander Fuller(12)
"I think that this will make students think about the importance about every choice that they make. We've done this program for 8 years already and students that have participated and that went to college came back and stated that it changed the way they made choices and it changed what they did when they went off to college and just made an impact on their overall life. I'm sure that it is going to continue on as they grow into adults and also for their children and just affect their families as well because it highly involved your parents and the students. I think it will really make a difference and it will save lives. I have been in a car accident and I was hit by a car, but my sister was killed in a drunk driving accident in 2008 so I'm really passionate about this subject and preventing this from happening to somebody else. Even though my sister has been gone for quite a while the pain is still there and it doesn't lessen, it is still really hard and difficult to put on this program. But I do it because I want to put a sense of purpose to losing her. If I could save one life in her memory then it is all worth it and it is worth me taking myself back to that day that I lost her" - Dawnette Smith
"I think this is a really good opportunity to have them feel some emotion and really have an experience without the long term effects. I want them to be able to know that one bad decision can change your whole life and I'm hoping that's what we get out of the event. You can see that a lot of different organizations have to come together and you have to get the CHP, and the helicopter and the AMT and you get all of these different governments agencies that work together and there is actually a waiting list to be able to do it. Pioneer Valley actually has not done it in 7 years. It really does have a good impact on our kids. I have not been in a car accident and I have also never lost anybody close to me in a car accident, but you're going to see tomorrow when we watch the video the way that an accident like this really affects those people around you because you will see the parents in the video and how serious it is when you really think about it. I could lose my daughter, my sister or my friends and how they can be gone and how it can change their life. Over the last few years we have lost several students to car accidents and I do think that some of our kids have experienced this kind of emotion, but maybe that was the first time they ever lost somebody close to them and they didn't know what to do with that emotion in them. And how do they feel about this and how do I deal with it. Tomorrow as we close up this they are going to talk about some of those things that will address how it is important for us to be able to have counseling and have closure and to really be able to move forward"
-Mrs. Herrera
-Elizabeth Morales
15 Minutes, the Funeral
Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley hosted the mock drunk driving accident discussed in the previous article. They staged drunk driving accidents every year at high schools in our area. This accident involved 5 of our students (2 injured, 2 dead, and one arrested).
The following day on April 28th, a mock funeral was held in the gym during 5th period for juniors and seniors. Mother of Alina Davina, a junior that had "died" in the accident, and father of Viviana Salazar, another junior that had "died, attended and carried out a eulogy for their daughter. A former Panther, Demi Hernandez, had given a speech and informed everyone of her mother who had died in a drunken crash. Breanna Rodriguez, a victim of a car accident that occurred in 2015, was remembered as well by her mother. These speeches had an incredible impact with the absolute silence in the gym and the stone-cold, solemn faces among the bleachers. With these incidents unfortunately occurring so close to home and this mock-accident, everyone had been deeply influenced by these stories. A change in a state of mind really moved students to be absolutely careful when driving and making decisions. This brings hope to never have to really experience something so real and fatal and will really let people prevent potential accidents. –Tina Bulosan
-Photos by Mona Lily Garcia
Shattered Mirrors
I was never the self-loathing type.
But when your heart drags along
With your feet when you walk,
You tend to hate the feeling of
Tears falling on your cheek.
Those tired eyes and sleepless nights
Fill your mind until you learn to accept it.
You learn to chew the grenade once
You know that the damage and debris
Can't be seen by anyone else.
Learning to bite down on your tongue
So no one can hear the screaming, pleading.
Pleading not for help, but for someone to
Recognize that you are broken.
- Alexis Dagar
PVHS Athletics Schedule
Tuesday 2-May 4:30 JV/V Softball vs SLO
Tuesday 2-May 4:30 V Baseball vs M Prep
Tuesday 2-May 3:30 Tennis vs Righetti
Tuesday 2-May 3:00 Boys Swim League Prelims @ Sinsheimer
Tuesday 2-May 4:30/5:30 JV/V Vball vs Righetti
Wed 3-May 3:00 Girls Swim League Prelims @ Sinsheimer
Wed 3-May 4:30 V Baseball @ M Prep
Wed 3-May 4:30 JV Baseball vs M Prep
Thurs 4-May 3:00 Swim League Finals @ Sinsheimer
Thurs 4-May 4:30 V Baseball vs M Prep
Thurs 4-May 4:30 JV Baseball @ M Prep
Thurs 4-May All Day Tennis @ League Prelims
Thurs 4-May 3:00 Track Finals @ Atascadero
Friday 5-May 4:30 V/JV Softball @ Arroyo Grande