That Wednesday started out like any other work day except instead of heading to the office, I was heading to Newcastle to cover the Freshman Impact event. Lead coordinator, Lisa Williams had contacted the Herald about the event, and it was decided that I would go and report on it. I was pretty sure that this would be a wonderful learning opportunity for the students, and having experience the loss of my brother when I was about their age to the bad choices of a drunk driver, I knew that I could relate. I never dreamed it would have a personal effect on me. Let me tell you about the day’s events so you can see things through my eyes.

206 students from seven different school districts, along with several teachers, adult leaders, and other volunteers filed into the auditorium at Newcastle High School to participate in what is hoped to be a life changing program. The students had been divided into groups of 28-30 each and were now patiently awaiting instruction. Rick McPherson, the organizer and head of Community Organized resources for Educating Youth (C.O.R.E.), welcomed the students and gave a run down on what the program is about. Freshman Impact is a one-day, hands-on, learning experience that is designed to help teenagers make wise choices for their lives by showing them the consequences that could impact the rest of their lives from bad decision making. Wyoming Highway Patrolman, James Rose was then introduced and he went through the upcoming events of the day and what the students could expect. He then showed a short film about the dangers of texting and driving. When the film was done, he made the students turn off their phones for the remainder of the program. He did inform them, however, that there was one station where they would be allowed, even encouraged, to use their cell phones. But that would be the only time.

After a brief instruction, the groups were released to start their rotation of the seven learning stations. The groups spent approximately 25 minutes at each station with a 5-minute rotation time. I tagged in with the orange group, and out the door we went to the Fire and Medical station. At our first station, they split the group again, with half going to the ambulance and half staying with the firemen. At the ambulance, students were shown the basics of CPR and how to do chest compressions. The EMS crew also demonstrated how the LUCUS device works. The LUCUS is a machine that will do chest compressions for you, because humans get tired. The students were also shown what it’s like to insert a 14-gauge needle into a chest cavity to create an airway. They were also shown what it is like to have a C-spine collar on and to be placed on a backboard for transport. At the fire truck, we were shown the tools used for extracting someone trapped in a vehicle. The student experienced the sounds of the spreader ripping a door off a vehicle in order to save someone, and were told that it is much louder when you are sitting inside the car. Not only that, but they were informed of how much scarier it is because one of the first things the rescue crew does is place a blanket over you to protect you from broken glass. So now, you are injured, trapped in a car, with all kinds of popping and ripping sounds that you can’t identify because you can’t see them. A terrifying scenario for sure!

Our next station was the Fatal Vision Goggles. The students all seemed to like this station best because they got to drive. There were four 4-wheelers and four ride-along instructors. Each student, in turn, got to put on the “drunk” goggles, get behind the wheel, and try to maneuver through the orange-cone obstacle course. And, this was where they got to use their cell phones. The instructors encouraged the students to take out their phones and to text and take “selfies” while running the course. Once they were through “killing cones” they went over and were issued sobriety tests while wearing the goggles. It was a real eye-opener!

We headed inside to the gym for our third station, Drug Prevention. Our instructor, Kevin Climis, is with the Keystone Ambulance Service an is a retired school resource office. The first thing he did was have the kids pair up, back-to-back and grab hands. He then instructed them to do whatever he told them to do without letting their partner control them. He then told them to raise their left hand, and only their left hand. This was a lesson in how it feels when you are not in total control of yourself. The same way drugs can control your life. Mr.  Climis did a little science experiment with diet cola and baking soda. In the first glass, he poured the cola, then added a spoon full of baking soda; we watched as it foamed. In the other glass, he placed the baking soda first, then poured the cola on top. This gave him twice as much foam. He explained how drug users will find the best combination to get the “biggest bang for their buck”. For his next demonstration, he had three volunteers come down, he handed them each two Tootsie Rolls, instructing them to place one in their pocket, and then unwrap the second one and place it in their mouths. Immediately they were told to remove the candy and rewrap it, then place it in a bowl. They were told to go sit down and that they could eat the candy in their pocket. Climis then asked for three more volunteers and again handed out Tootsie Rolls with the same instructions, except he had only given this second group one piece each. So, to correct his “mistake” he opened the bowl and offered the rewrapped candy. He didn’t have any takers. He said that this was like prescription medicine… you shouldn’t want to take something that was meant for someone else. Mr. Climis urged the students to listen to those that speak first-hand, educate themselves, take control, don’t let addictions rule and make healthy choices. Basically, drugs are bad, mmmkay.

Our fourth station of the morning dealt with Teen Violence and was instructed by Lisa McGuinness and Kayleigh Gould from the Crook County Family Violence & Sexual Harassment Center. The students were broken down into six small groups and were given cards that had different situations on them that teens are faced with. They were to discuss each one and then determine if it was a common scenario or an uncommon one. A lot of the cards dealt with peer pressure from a boyfriend/girlfriend, constantly texting ”I Love You”; getting upset when you don’t respond to their message right away; demanding to know where you are, what you are doing, and who you are with; wanting the passwords to your social media accounts; getting mad if you want to hang with your friends instead of them; threatening to show “those pics” if you don’t do as they say, etc. There was a lot of discussion and agreement that, even though the majority of the situations were bad or wrong, they were also very common. That’s a lot of pressure.

From there we went to see Kristi Lipp who taught us about Teen Suicide Awareness.  Kristi showed us different things to look for such as Direct Verbal clues (I think I would be better off dead), Indirect Verbal clues (I don’t feel like I belong, maybe I should just go away), Behavioral clues (previous suicide attempts, depression, giving away prized possessions, acquiring drugs or weapons), Situational clues (getting fired/expelled, stress, loss of a major relationship, death, unwanted move).  Again, the students were given different scenarios and asked to assess whether they thought their person was suicidal or not. These kids are pretty sharp.

Back outside for our next station…The Battle of the Belts! Two vehicles, four doors, four seatbelts. The objective? For your four-person team to buckle up in the fastest time. Starting with both feet on the ground, on the word ”GO”, you dove into the car, fastened your safety belt then threw your hands in the air in true cowboy style. When all four members had accomplished this task, the timer yelled “switch” and just like the old-fashioned Chinese fire-drill, you un-buckled, exited, ran clockwise around to the next door and did it again. When all four rounds were through, time was tallied and the next team readied.  The first rounds were mixed teams, then they split up into school teams. Lusk was represented well by Dalton Larson, Aaron D’Angel, Calli Klein and Riley Shaw. Go Tigers!

The last class we attended before lunch was on Internet Safety instructed by Special Agent Ryan Hieb. Agent Hieb discussed some of the internet stings he has been involved with, taking down predators that are trying to connect with our children. He talked about our Digital Footprint and how our online activities wake up search engines that track our moves and what we research online. He also informed us about social media and our online posting and how we should be careful with our texting and posting and photos and how that pic you took on Snap Chat that you thought would just disappear, really doesn’t. We watched some short videos that showed how online predators, pretending to be someone they are not, pressure teenagers into doing things they don’t want to do. Bottom line…know who you are talking to!

After lunch, we went back into the auditorium and listened while Dorcie Johner told the story of how her 16-year old brother was killed in a car accident. He was driving about 20 mph, hit loose gravel on a curve and flipped the car he was driving. He wasn’t wearing his seat belt. The car crushed him. Buckle up every time.

Next on the agenda was a short skit performed by students from Newcastle High School. The stage was set and as the underage drinking party began, the scene was set for the culmination of the day’s events.  There was drinking, and beer pong, and weed. There was bragging and fighting and holes in the memory of a young girl who was slipped a rufie and can’ t remember if something happened or not. When the cops arrive at the party, the teenagers bail. As the stage goes black you hear yelling, you hear a crash, you hear “911 what is your emergency?”, and you hear a young man frantically trying to explain and desperately pleading for help. At this time, we are escorted from the auditorium out to the lower parking lot and paraded past the “scene of the accident”. The story is still being played out as kids sit in wrecked cars, dripping with blood and screaming for help. A young man on a cell phone, pacing, pleading for emergency

Freshman Impact: Caught In The Moment

By Gayle Johnson

That Wednesday started out like any other work day except instead of heading to the office, I was heading to Newcastle to cover the Freshman Impact event. Lead coordinator, Lisa Williams had contacted the Herald about the event, and it was decided that I would go and report on it. I was pretty sure that this would be a wonderful learning opportunity for the students, and having experience the loss of my brother when I was about their age to the bad choices of a drunk driver, I knew that I could relate. I never dreamed it would have a personal effect on me. Let me tell you about the day’s events so you can see things through my eyes.

206 students from seven different school districts, along with several teachers, adult leaders, and other volunteers filed into the auditorium at Newcastle High School to participate in what is hoped to be a life changing program. The students had been divided into groups of 28-30 each and were now patiently awaiting instruction. Rick McPherson, the organizer and head of Community Organized resources for Educating Youth (C.O.R.E.), welcomed the students and gave a run down on what the program is about. Freshman Impact is a one-day, hands-on, learning experience that is designed to help teenagers make wise choices for their lives by showing them the consequences that could impact the rest of their lives from bad decision making. Wyoming Highway Patrolman, James Rose was then introduced and he went through the upcoming events of the day and what the students could expect. He then showed a short film about the dangers of texting and driving. When the film was done, he made the students turn off their phones for the remainder of the program. He did inform them, however, that there was one station where they would be allowed, even encouraged, to use their cell phones. But that would be the only time.

After a brief instruction, the groups were released to start their rotation of the seven learning stations. The groups spent approximately 25 minutes at each station with a 5-minute rotation time. I tagged in with the orange group, and out the door we went to the Fire and Medical station. At our first station, they split the group again, with half going to the ambulance and half staying with the firemen. At the ambulance, students were shown the basics of CPR and how to do chest compressions. The EMS crew also demonstrated how the LUCUS device works. The LUCUS is a machine that will do chest compressions for you, because humans get tired. The students were also shown what it’s like to insert a 14-gauge needle into a chest cavity to create an airway. They were also shown what it is like to have a C-spine collar on and to be placed on a backboard for transport. At the fire truck, we were shown the tools used for extracting someone trapped in a vehicle. The student experienced the sounds of the spreader ripping a door off a vehicle in order to save someone, and were told that it is much louder when you are sitting inside the car. Not only that, but they were informed of how much scarier it is because one of the first things the rescue crew does is place a blanket over you to protect you from broken glass. So now, you are injured, trapped in a car, with all kinds of popping and ripping sounds that you can’t identify because you can’t see them. A terrifying scenario for sure!

Our next station was the Fatal Vision Goggles. The students all seemed to like this station best because they got to drive. There were four 4-wheelers and four ride-along instructors. Each student, in turn, got to put on the “drunk” goggles, get behind the wheel, and try to maneuver through the orange-cone obstacle course. And, this was where they got to use their cell phones. The instructors encouraged the students to take out their phones and to text and take “selfies” while running the course. Once they were through “killing cones” they went over and were issued sobriety tests while wearing the goggles. It was a real eye-opener!

We headed inside to the gym for our third station, Drug Prevention. Our instructor, Kevin Climis, is with the Keystone Ambulance Service an is a retired school resource office. The first thing he did was have the kids pair up, back-to-back and grab hands. He then instructed them to do whatever he told them to do without letting their partner control them. He then told them to raise their left hand, and only their left hand. This was a lesson in how it feels when you are not in total control of yourself. The same way drugs can control your life. Mr.  Climis did a little science experiment with diet cola and baking soda. In the first glass, he poured the cola, then added a spoon full of baking soda; we watched as it foamed. In the other glass, he placed the baking soda first, then poured the cola on top. This gave him twice as much foam. He explained how drug users will find the best combination to get the “biggest bang for their buck”. For his next demonstration, he had three volunteers come down, he handed them each two Tootsie Rolls, instructing them to place one in their pocket, and then unwrap the second one and place it in their mouths. Immediately they were told to remove the candy and rewrap it, then place it in a bowl. They were told to go sit down and that they could eat the candy in their pocket. Climis then asked for three more volunteers and again handed out Tootsie Rolls with the same instructions, except he had only given this second group one piece each. So, to correct his “mistake” he opened the bowl and offered the rewrapped candy. He didn’t have any takers. He said that this was like prescription medicine… you shouldn’t want to take something that was meant for someone else. Mr. Climis urged the students to listen to those that speak first-hand, educate themselves, take control, don’t let addictions rule and make healthy choices. Basically, drugs are bad, mmmkay.

Our fourth station of the morning dealt with Teen Violence and was instructed by Lisa McGuinness and Kayleigh Gould from the Crook County Family Violence & Sexual Harassment Center. The students were broken down into six small groups and were given cards that had different situations on them that teens are faced with. They were to discuss each one and then determine if it was a common scenario or an uncommon one. A lot of the cards dealt with peer pressure from a boyfriend/girlfriend, constantly texting ”I Love You”; getting upset when you don’t respond to their message right away; demanding to know where you are, what you are doing, and who you are with; wanting the passwords to your social media accounts; getting mad if you want to hang with your friends instead of them; threatening to show “those pics” if you don’t do as they say, etc. There was a lot of discussion and agreement that, even though the majority of the situations were bad or wrong, they were also very common. That’s a lot of pressure.

From there we went to see Kristi Lipp who taught us about Teen Suicide Awareness.  Kristi showed us different things to look for such as Direct Verbal clues (I think I would be better off dead), Indirect Verbal clues (I don’t feel like I belong, maybe I should just go away), Behavioral clues (previous suicide attempts, depression, giving away prized possessions, acquiring drugs or weapons), Situational clues (getting fired/expelled, stress, loss of a major relationship, death, unwanted move).  Again, the students were given different scenarios and asked to assess whether they thought their person was suicidal or not. These kids are pretty sharp.

Back outside for our next station…The Battle of the Belts! Two vehicles, four doors, four seatbelts. The objective? For your four-person team to buckle up in the fastest time. Starting with both feet on the ground, on the word ”GO”, you dove into the car, fastened your safety belt then threw your hands in the air in true cowboy style. When all four members had accomplished this task, the timer yelled “switch” and just like the old-fashioned Chinese fire-drill, you un-buckled, exited, ran clockwise around to the next door and did it again. When all four rounds were through, time was tallied and the next team readied.  The first rounds were mixed teams, then they split up into school teams. Lusk was represented well by Dalton Larson, Aaron D’Angel, Calli Klein and Riley Shaw. Go Tigers!

The last class we attended before lunch was on Internet Safety instructed by Special Agent Ryan Hieb. Agent Hieb discussed some of the internet stings he has been involved with, taking down predators that are trying to connect with our children. He talked about our Digital Footprint and how our online activities wake up search engines that track our moves and what we research online. He also informed us about social media and our online posting and how we should be careful with our texting and posting and photos and how that pic you took on Snap Chat that you thought would just disappear, really doesn’t. We watched some short videos that showed how online predators, pretending to be someone they are not, pressure teenagers into doing things they don’t want to do. Bottom line…know who you are talking to!

After lunch, we went back into the auditorium and listened while Dorcie Johner told the story of how her 16-year old brother was killed in a car accident. He was driving about 20 mph, hit loose gravel on a curve and flipped the car he was driving. He wasn’t wearing his seat belt. The car crushed him. Buckle up every time.

Next on the agenda was a short skit performed by students from Newcastle High School. The stage was set and as the underage drinking party began, the scene was set for the culmination of the day’s events.  There was drinking, and beer pong, and weed. There was bragging and fighting and holes in the memory of a young girl who was slipped a rufie and can’ t remember if something happened or not. When the cops arrive at the party, the teenagers bail. As the stage goes black you hear yelling, you hear a crash, you hear “911 what is your emergency?”, and you hear a young man frantically trying to explain and desperately pleading for help. At this time, we are escorted from the auditorium out to the lower parking lot and paraded past the “scene of the accident”. The story is still being played out as kids sit in wrecked cars, dripping with blood and screaming for help. A young man on a cell phone, pacing, pleading for emergency vehicles to hurry, the young lady in his car, (the girl that he rufied), hanging out the passenger side window, covered in blood, yelling “somebody help me!”. The driver of the other car crying out in pain that she is pinned and can’t get out. The boy in the back seat can’t feel his legs, and the young lady in the passenger side is lying motionless on the hood after being thrown through the windshield. A police officer arrives and questions the young man about the accident, and things that we learned that morning start to come into play, as the officer issues a field sobriety test on the young man. All the while you hear the radio conversations as emergency vehicles are being dispatched to the scene….fire rescue….ambulances….flight-for-life….coroner. The emergency teams arrive and, using the spreader (jaws-of-life), set to extricating the teens from the vehicles, placing the injured in C-spine collars and strapping them to backboards. And as this scene unfolds, the young man on the phone is hand-cuffed and hauled off to jail.

As the last of the accident victims are hauled away, we are instructed to head back inside and go to the auditorium to witness the court hearing. As we start out, we are met by the Honor Guard who slowly and reverently lead us back into the building as a lone bugler plays Taps. It was at that moment, what had begun as a learning experience became very personal; because the last time I had heard that song was at my own husband’s funeral just a few months prior. As the groups moved past the casket, the deceased’s last thoughts about a life lost were playing, and I wondered what, if anything, might have touched these kids in a personal nature to really drive the teachings of the day home.

We observed the court proceedings as the 18-year old was charged with 1^st degree sexual assault for slipping a rufie in the young girl’s drink and then raping her; DUI causing serious bodily injury (the young man who couldn’t feel his legs was now permanently paralyzed); and aggravated vehicular homicide, (the girl through the windshield was dead at the scene). Judge Castano handed down the sentence: 10-15 years for the sexual assault, 8-12 years for the vehicular homicide and 4-6 years for the DUI to be served consecutively. He’s looking at 22-33 years of incarceration for the bad choices he made that night. Not only did he mess up his own life but he permanently scarred the lives of others. Attorneys Joseph Baron and Miles Jacoby as well as Judge Castano fielded questions from the students after the “trial” was over. The students were then given packs with information and such in them and asked to fill out evaluation sheets on the program. I can’t wait to see what next year’s event will bring.                       

vehicles to hurry, the young lady in his car, (the girl that he rufied), hanging out the passenger side window, covered in blood, yelling “somebody help me!”. The driver of the other car crying out in pain that she is pinned and can’t get out. The boy in the back seat can’t feel his legs, and the young lady in the passenger side is lying motionless on the hood after being thrown through the windshield. A police officer arrives and questions the young man about the accident, and things that we learned that morning start to come into play, as the officer issues a field sobriety test on the young man. All the while you hear the radio conversations as emergency vehicles are being dispatched to the scene….fire rescue….ambulances….flight-for-life….coroner. The emergency teams arrive and, using the spreader (jaws-of-life), set to extricating the teens from the vehicles, placing the injured in C-spine collars and strapping them to backboards. And as this scene unfolds, the young man on the phone is hand-cuffed and hauled off to jail.

As the last of the accident victims are hauled away, we are instructed to head back inside and go to the auditorium to witness the court hearing. As we start out, we are met by the Honor Guard who slowly and reverently lead us back into the building as a lone bugler plays Taps. It was at that moment, what had begun as a learning experience became very personal; because the last time I had heard that song was at my own husband’s funeral just a few months prior. As the groups moved past the casket, the deceased’s last thoughts about a life lost were playing, and I wondered what, if anything, might have touched these kids in a personal nature to really drive the teachings of the day home.

We observed the court proceedings as the 18-year old was charged with 1^st degree sexual assault for slipping a rufie in the young girl’s drink and then raping her; DUI causing serious bodily injury (the young man who couldn’t feel his legs was now permanently paralyzed); and aggravated vehicular homicide, (the girl through the windshield was dead at the scene). Judge Castano handed down the sentence: 10-15 years for the sexual assault, 8-12 years for the vehicular homicide and 4-6 years for the DUI to be served consecutively. He’s looking at 22-33 years of incarceration for the bad choices he made that night. Not only did he mess up his own life but he permanently scarred the lives of others. Attorneys Joseph Baron and Miles Jacoby as well as Judge Castano fielded questions from the students after the “trial” was over. The students were then given packs with information and such in them and asked to fill out evaluation sheets on the program. I can’t wait to see what next year’s event will bring.