On May 1, 2024 I died. 

After drinking, partying, driving home with a friend, and failing to wear a seatbelt, I lost my life in a car crash.

On May 2, 2024 my friends, family, teachers, and peers attended my funeral. 

My obituary would read “he was”, “he wanted”, … and “to be remembered”.

In the U.S. every 15 minutes somebody is killed or severely injured in a collision at the hands of an impaired driver. A disproportionate number of these fatalities occur among high-school-aged students. 

Earlier this month, Helix Charter High School (HCHS), in partnership with California Highway Patrol, hosted “Every Fifteen Minutes”, a simulated fatal car crash. 

During the Every Fifteen Minutes program students from local high schools help exemplify the real-world ramifications of driving under the influences of alcohol, drugs, or any mind-altering substance. The program is rooted in social-emotional appeals and created a meaningful impact on each and every Helix student who had the opportunity to participate or witness the program.

Early morning May 1, 25 Helix Charter High school students, myself included, gathered at HCHS to prepare for our two-day event. 

Throughout that morning a tall cloaked grim reaper appeared across campus to collect the living dead. The living dead was a group of students who represented the number of people impacted by DUI during the school day. Each student pulled from class was preceded by a reading of their obituary detailing the highlights of that student’s life and the manner in which they fell victim to DUI.

Bang! Smoke poured from the vehicles, beginning our crash, while students from the

junior and senior classes filed onto the Helix hill. A student called 911, first responders appeared in cop cars, a firefighter truck rolled in, and a helicopter landed. 

The student body of Helix Charter High School watched in awe as our first responders appeared on the scene and began working to pull victims from the crash. Our impaired driver, Helix junior Mac Jarman, was questioned and subsequently arrested on the scene. One victim pulled from the crash was lifted by air to the hospital, another was escorted by ambulance, and the final passenger was removed from the scene by the coroner as they were killed on impact.

The crash scene was an emotionally charged presentation. The students are likely to remember the lessons they learned and the experience they gained while observing the Every Fifteen Minutes program. As the living dead, we retreated to our staging area, and prepared for the next half of our day… we were headed to the courthouse.

By the time we’d reached the courthouse, our friend Mac had already been processed.

Families, friends, and loved ones of the victims joined us in the court and spoke as well as Mac’s own parents. The testimonials and heart-wrenching words of these guests echoed in our hearts and in the stale halls of the court. 

Electing to negate a harmful drawn-out trial, Mac pleaded guilty and in-turn faced a sentence of 22 years in prison. With his sentencing, the videographers departed to spend the rest of the day editing our film. 

Finally, joined by Mac and our victims, we headed to our final destination– the Retreat. 

We arrived at the Legacy Church of La Mesa in the mid-late afternoon. Our gracious hosts Laura and Noelle, greeted and welcomed us to Legacy – an incredibly generous host and sponsor of our retreat. Then, after about an hour of some well-deserved downtime (if I do say so myself) and a delicious dinner, we started some evening activities.

Hearing from experts proves informative

First to speak was a panel of CHP and LMPD officers.

The panel was composed of officers from different scales and backgrounds, with a diverse amount of experience and perspective. These officers provided an interesting insight into the reality of DUI drivers and incidents involving DUI. 

Our second speaker was the biggest shock of the night. Garett, a former DUI driver. Garett was overwhelmingly the most impactful and memorable speaker of the retreat. We spoke with Garett for about 45 minutes after he told us his story. 

His words resonated with every student in the room. 

Listening to his experiences growing up and as a former first responder, and then later having been arrested for DUI three times was an incredibly critical moment in our retreat. I can say with full confidence that not a single person in the room was not touched by the things he had to say. His testimony was impressively humble and vulnerable, both of which are descriptions that cannot do his speech justice. 

To follow such an act is incredibly difficult, luckily officer (and Every Fifteen Minutes veteran) Mark Latulippe was up to the challenge. 

Just when we didn’t think that anything could still impress us, Latulippe stepped up to the podium to tell us his personal story about the life-altering impacts of DUI collisions. Officer Latulippe shared about how he lost a cousin’s entire family in a collision, all except his cousin’s daughter, the sole survivor of this crash. Officer Latulippe’s perspective was

uniquely personal and integral to our night. The duality of his story, as both a CHP officer and

someone personally impacted by DUI, made his presentation feel incredibly real and powerful.

Absorbing the lessons of the day

The rest of our evening was full of team-building and thought exercises.We used the

evenings activities to continue learning, to reflect, and to really absorb the lessons of the day. We wrote letters to loved ones, and discussed our thoughts about the day. Our evening ended at about 11:30 p.m. and we headed off to bed.

The morning of the second, escorted in CHP and police vehicles, we arrived at Helix to

prepare for our final activity, a school-wide assembly or… a mock funeral. 

Joined again by the junior and senior classes, the living dead entered the HCHS gym in a line holding candles. Each of us one-by-one approached our casket and blew out our candle as a slideshow played in the background. Throughout the assembly, the junior and senior classes heard from a number of speakers. Jared, Garett, another CHP officer, a student participant, and a parent each of whom enriched the group with a unique passion-filled speech. 

The assembly taught the students about the importance and weight of your decisions and the personal, family, local, and community impact that they can have.

Helix Charter High School is incredibly proud to call our Every Fifteen Minutes program a success. Every student who witnessed the crash scene or the assembly was impacted by the

harsh lessons about driving under the influence. The impact of a program like this speaks for

itself. 

“Every day is a new opportunity to be grateful for what you have,” said student Andrea

Dona. “I thought that the whole program was such an amazing experience. For me it is something I will never ever forget.” 

“Being in this program truly changed the way that I view life and how every decision in life is so important,” said student Sofia Dalhoumi. Participating in the Every Fifteen Minutes Program has been a highlight of my senior year. I hope Helix and other schools across California will continue to support important messages through programs like these.”

Every Fifteen Minutes coordinator, Cheryl Tyler noted, “I am incredibly proud of all the students who were involved in the program. They showed levels of maturity and thoughtfulness that we hope to see in all high school students. I hope the lessons and memories from this program stay with them through adulthood.” 

Editor’s note: This article was written by Rhys McElroy, a student at Helix Charter High School.