LOS ALAMITOS, CA — “Every 15 minutes, someone in the United States dies from an alcohol-related accident. Rest in peace…”

Los Alamitos High School’s intercom announced this message about every 15 minutes on Thursday, March 2, followed by the names of one or two students declared “dead.” From the start of school until fourth period, students were called out of their classes to represent the statistic that someone in the US dies in a drunk driving incident every 15 minutes. 

24 Los Al students “died” on Thursday in Every 15 Minutes, a national program that illustrates the consequences of irresponsible driving. The Youth Center partners with local organizations and law enforcement to implement Every 15 Minutes at Los Al. 

“I thought the event went great,” Principal Kraus said. “The location worked wonderfully, and the students did great as well. The only issue we had was with the sound, which will be better tomorrow [for the assembly].”

Due to COVID-19, this year was the first time since 2019 that Every 15 Minutes came to Los Al.

“This will be incredibly impactful for students as they really don’t know what’s coming to campus,” said Lina Lumme, Youth Center CEO and Every 15 Minutes program coordinator.

“I was told that it was a really rewarding experience to be a part of, and it had a profound effect on the other students, so I applied when I got the email,” senior Colleen Sorrenson said.

Out of over 200 applicants, 25 juniors and seniors were chosen to participate. Four students were part of the staged car crash during lunch, and the other 21 “died” and left class throughout the day. The 21 students did not know when their names would be called on the intercom, so they were caught as much by surprise as everyone else. 

This part of the program affected more upperclassmen because most freshmen and sophomores only heard the names of unknown older students and did not witness anyone leaving their classes. It was more personal for upperclassmen to hear a peer’s obituary read or a friend’s name called on the intercom.

However, there were students who didn’t take the event seriously. Some upperclassmen laughed when their friends “died” or tried to get them to break character as they left the classroom. 

When a student’s name was announced, a police officer, photographer, and another officer dressed as the Grim Reaper, or Angel of Death, entered their classroom. The officer read the “deceased” student’s obituary and left a picture of them, a red rose, and a black cloth on their desk. They escorted the students out of class and into the Performing Arts Center, where they received black Every 15 Minutes T-shirts and white face paint to symbolize “the living dead.” Chalk outlines with the dead students’ names were drawn on the ground around campus. 

The hill next to the PAC gradually filled with mock tombstones for the “dead” students. They displayed people’s names, birth and death dates, epitaphs, and pictures. Later, people placed flowers at the graves.

“It was really eerie,” said senior Lindsay Meehan, one of the living dead. “In the moment, you definitely feel a lot more than you thought you would because it feels so real.”

Right before lunch, a scripted 911 call was broadcast on the intercom to immerse students in the experience. They heard witnesses to the crash speaking to a 911 operator who assured them that help was on the way. 

As the bell rang to signal lunch, students streamed out of their classrooms to crowd around the two crashed cars in front of the PAC. The living dead stood solemnly next to the scene with the Grim Reaper pacing in front of them and looming over the crash. The quad was packed with students, some on the steps all the way up to the third story of the STEM building.

At the crash scene, students Chloe Veith, Sofia Youngs, Cameron Stewart, and Nicholas Leung were placed in the cars with makeup to make it look like they sustained grievous injuries. They all appeared to be “unconscious” or “dead.” Sirens sounded as police, firefighters, and EMTs arrived to begin the long process of rescuing the students. This included using the jaws of life to remove the roof of one of the smashed cars and retrieve a victim. 

Seeing the staged crash scene hit students harder than the announced names. Even though they knew it was fake, some students experienced shock when they saw their friends in the destroyed cars. Every 15 Minutes participants were not allowed to tell their peers that they were going to “die.” 

“I thought I lost one of my closest friends,” said Sebastian Taylor, junior. 

For the firefighters and police, it felt like an everyday occurrence. 

“We go on these calls all the time,” said Hector Jimenez, Orange County Fire Authority firefighter. “I think it’s a good experience for all the students to see this. It opens up their eyes to realize the consequences of driving [recklessly] behind the wheel.”

“It’s very impactful when they see the classmates and friends not sitting at the desk,” said School Resource Officer Jody Brucki. “Even though it’s not real, it’s still tough and feels real.” 

Veith and Leung “died” on the scene. Stewart, the drunk driver, took a field sobriety test and was arrested. Youngs, in “critical condition,” was rushed to Los Alamitos Medical Center, where she was later pronounced “dead.” A strike squad of Griffin News students accompanied Youngs to the hospital to film her arc in the story. A different team went with police to inform Veith’s parents of her death.

When lunch ended, the emergency responders left and pretended to take away the bodies, Veith and Leung, who went to the cafeteria to eat lunch with the living dead. Then they followed Stewart to the Westminster Municipal Court for his mock trial and went to the morgue for Youngs’ funeral service.

All of the participants stayed at a nearby hotel Thursday night, isolated until Friday’s assemblies. To make it seem like they were truly gone, they were without devices to contact outside people, and no one was allowed to know where they were located, including parents and friends. The crashed cars were removed and the school looked like it had never experienced the tragic accident, except for a few stains of fake blood on the ground. 

Griffin News had been preparing for Every 15 Minutes for a month. They created a film of the program that premiered at both assemblies today, Friday, March 3. 

“We have assembled a team of the best filmmakers around campus with students from Griffin News, Los Al ASB’s Tech Team, and even some recent alumni coming in to assist,” said Mr. Brown, Los Al Film and Television and Griffin News teacher. 

Throughout the day, strike squads sent footage back to about ten editors in the Griffin News room who pieced the entire film together. As editors finished separate scenes, Cole Miller, the Final Assembly Editor, put them together to create the completed film shown at the assemblies the next morning. Griffin News stayed at school working late into the night to meet their deadline. 

“To make a 15 minute short film in less than 24 hours is one of the hardest projects you can be asked to complete as a filmmaker, but I am confident my students are up to the challenge,” Mr. Brown said.

Because the event covered a sensitive topic, the school counselors and Wellness Center were available for students who felt overwhelmed. However, if it was too hard for students to watch the car crash or hear the “death” announcements, they went home to escape the intense scenes.

“Knowing that today is going to be very impactful and heavy, we just want to make ourselves available to students; it’s always students first,” said Mr. Riehm, Los Al counselor.

Los Al teachers who experienced Every 15 Minutes previously, either as a staff member or a student, recognized the importance of this program. 

“Stepping into this Every 15 Minutes project as an educator really shifts my perspective,” said Mr. Brown, who experienced the program when he went to Los Al. “I hope through our video that students across campus can see that they have that power and that they have that ability to make the right choice.”

“It’s very nerve-wracking to know that this could happen, going into driving soon,” sophomore Addie Schumacher said. 

“I’m going to take [driving] more seriously,” freshman Cyrus Rastegar said. 

“It makes me feel very aware of the potential dangers of drinking and driving and being distracted while driving,” Taylor said.

“At the end of the day, all it takes is one strong person to be the voice of reason and save a life,” Mr. Brown said. 

Thanks to: The Youth Center, Seal Beach Lions Club, Every 15 Minutes, Los Alamitos High School, Griffin News, ASB, volunteers, Los Alamitos Police Department, Seal Beach Police Department, Cypress Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol, Orange County Fire Authority, Cypress Forest Lawn, Orange County Jail, and other local businesses involved in bringing Every 15 Minutes to life at Los Al.