This Mon. and Tues., March 30-31, our Rosary Royals experienced an educational program called Every 15 Minutes. Learning about the dangers of drunk and distracting driving, students saw a real life car-crash protocol and how under-the-influence driving can affect much more than the person in the driver’s seat.
But what does “every 15 minutes” mean? The Every 15 Minutes program is a two-day program focusing on high school juniors and seniors, which challenges them to think about drinking and driving, personal safety, the responsibility of making mature decisions and the impact their decisions have on family, friends, their community and many others. Its name has a purpose: it is proven that every 15 minutes, an individual is reported to be in a car crash caused by driving under the influence. This program is a dramatic production, and made that way in order to really stress the impact that distracted or inebriated driving can cause. It involves students from Rosary and Servite so that these “victims” are someone that students care about. You never know when you could be in that situation: it could happen to anyone on a drive to school or the store. Through this program, Royals learn to make the smart and safe decisions when driving, not the popular one.
Two Rosary seniors, Ella Baroldi ‘26 and Sami DiCrisi ‘26, played a large role in the production as victims of drunk driving. Ella was an injured passenger; when asked about her experience, she shared, “It was all so scary to be honest. I know it wasn’t real, but when I was in makeup and had fake blood all over me, I can’t even imagine what that would be like in real life. It really freaked me out.” Well said Ella, I understand how terrifying that can be, but it is necessary to make the experience as real as possible. Unfortunately, in the production, Sami passed away due to the car crash. Sami laid on the front of the crashed car for several minutes before being placed into the back of a hearse with a sheet over her. Many people did not even realize that Sami was in the car, or thought that she was a mannequin; however, as she was picked up, students realized how terrible the effects of drunk driving can be.
On Monday alone, students saw police arrests, paramedic prodigals and even the destruction of a car in order to save the passengers at risk. On Tuesday, students packed into the Servite theatre to witness the funeral of Sami DiCrisi, multiple guest speakers, and the official every 15 minutes produced and acted out by Rosary and Servite students. An Anaheim police officer shared statistics on crashes and casualties caused by both distracted driving and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Servite also invited Mrs. U, a brave mother who shared the loss of her son in 2021. He was struck by a drunk driver on his way home from work as his mother was just across the street. This tragic story is a real life example of what destructive driving can do. Lives are affected: mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and friends are lost all due to the poor judgement of another person.
Not only are the individuals in the crash affected, but so are family. In the production, Sam Wright’s ‘26 brother was greatly impacted by the crash and fell into a coma. Although it was not in real life, Sam shares, “No one wants to see their brother in a hospital or carried out of a car in a stretcher. Anytime he is out I always stay up to make sure he is home and to think that one day he could not come home, it’s scary to even think about.” Seeing your family in such a state is terrifying, Sam we completely understand.
With so many Royals on the road, it is important that we all make mature decisions while driving. Not just with drinking but with distracted driving. Your makeup can be done when you arrive at your destination and your phone will not disappear after you stop the car. Being late is better than not arriving at all due to a crash. We must all be responsible because every 15 minutes, the next victim could be you.
