Posen students learn life lessons about making good choices
by Richard Lamb–Advance Editor
Posen High School students got a graphic lesson on making good decisions. An assembly in the gymnasium and a demonstration in the parking lot brought home the need to think things through before getting a car to drive impaired.
Teacher Kristin Bedard, who organized the assembly along with resource officer deputy sheriff James Leedy, introduced Presque Isle County sheriff Joe Brewbaker, who told some firsthand experiences he has had that relates to the subject of making good choices.
“Every decision we make has a consequence, whether it is good or bad. I’m not a negative person, but when you talk about decisions, the ones that are really going to hurt are the ones that can take somebody’s life, take your own, your friends or put you in jail. It is a decision that you maybe would not have made, but the consequences are severe,” Brewbaker said.
MANY POOR decisions, he said, come from drug or alcohol use.
“It makes people addicted. It makes their minds different. It might make them do a decision that they normally would not have done, but they are influenced by the drug,” he said. The sheriff urged the students to listen to the voice inside their heads that tells about making good choices.
After Brewbaker’s presentation, Leedy played a recording over the loud speaker telling about a car crash located outside in the parking lot. With that, the students exited the gym to hear sirens going off from a line of emergency service vehicles, first responders and law enforcement. They found a car crashed against a light pole with two students trapped inside. The students were not injured, only actors in the demonstration.
The responders invited the students to view the crash up close to see the damage and how the passengers were extracted. Using cutting tools and a wealth of skill, the responders extricated student actors Mallory Donajkowski and Ethan Romel.
THE SPRING demonstration to encourage good decisions has been a nearly annual event at the school. Superintendent Michelle Wesner noticed students really paying attention.
“I think it was very impactful for them. I feel like they realized that this could be anyone and to really think about their decisions. I know that by having their own friends around and in the vehicle itself made some of them really stop and think. It really turned their stomach. As they were giggling, they were thinking that this could happen,” Wesner said.
Organizer Bedard agreed that the demonstration had an impact on the students.
“I’m very impressed with the design of what happened. Deputy Leedy put this together for us and it was more than I could have expected. Even as an adult, it impacted us emotionally. I can’t believe it didn’t impact some of these kids emotionally,” Bedard said.
THE RESPONSE of the emergency services would not be as immediate as what happened in the exercise, but the point was made to the students. Bedard has been coordinating assemblies like this for several years.
“It has been a good program because we want the students to understand what poor decisions can impact, and take responsibility for the choices they are making. And always hoping that you can help them think twice about it,” Bedard said.
Having someone to reach out to in a crisis situation is important, she said.
“It is necessary to have somebody to remove you from a dangerous situation when you can’t do that on your own,” Bedard said, saying that person could be a parent, teacher, si
The students also were part of a lock-in at the school Friday night. Many games were played including a James Bond obstacle course, build a crime scene competition, dancing competition and a labrynth puzzle that led to a locker.
A highlight of the night was a game of human clue, a variation on the popular board game. The game had 12 teachers as suspects with 12 weapons in the mix including items ranging from a gavel to a textbook.
The night ended with the students wearing glow sticks and searching in the dark for eggs holding more clues. The winning team earned a pizza party.