Agawam High School - Sachem Yearbook (Agawam, MA)

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“You’re Not Just Hurting Yourself, You’re On October 28. 1988. Agawam High School dedicated a day to educating the student body on the dangers of driving while under the influence of alcohol. Peer Leadership, a group of students combined to educate their fellow students on the repercussions of irresponsible behavior, coordinated a mock accident on the lower driveway of the school. They did this with the help of the Red Cross, the Agawam Fire Department, and the Agawam Police Department. The portrayal came complete with rescue crews, ambu- lances. fire trucks, police patrol cars, injured and dead students (Peer Leadership partici- pants). and an empty case of beer. The details given to this theatrical production were not over-exaggerated, but quite accurate. In fact, of the six students, three played dead passengers, two played severely injured friends and one student, who had the fewest injuries and responsible thought, played the drunk driver. The Jaws of Life” were used on one of the cars involved and they added a dramatic effect to the entire scenario. “The purpose of this accident was to expose kids to what it’s really like. said Peer Leadership member and partaker. Chris Brunelle. The overall outlook is that this mock accident did have an affect on the students and faculty. A quick look at the crowd showed shed tears, heads turned from the grotesque scene, upset stomachs, and eyes locked on the action before them. As always, something as beneficial as this is overlooked by certain people. Usually, this is the group that needs to be made more aware of the problem. They cannot be helped. However, for those who appreciated the seriousness of the issue, there is hope. This portrayal, this mock accident, could easily be reality for some thousands of people every day. The effect of this mock accident can only be measured in the number of lives it has or will save. Don't become a statistic! Special thanks to Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Bertrand, without whom this production could not have been possible. 10

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CLASS HISTORY dk m American pride and unity was also present as we watched Brian Boitano win the gold medal in figure skating at the Winter Olympics, held in Calgary. Unfortunately, Americans did not show pride in its beaches, as the pollution prevented people from relaxing under the sun. However, everyone was able to dance to the tunes of Dirty Dancing and Good Morning Vietnam. As the end of our Junior year approached, our tape was filling up with memories. It was time to turn over tcrside 2 to record our final journey. Because we were to become Seniors, we began to realize that the song was almost over. We returned to the recording studio to produce our final release. This time we were m g h SU ERSONIC SENIORS! Our newly elected master sound-mixers were David Fazio, President, Tim Burns. Vice-President; Brittany Morin, Secretary; n Joseph, Treasurer. The most important time of our recording years finally came and we were ready to rock the house! A strict attendance policy was formed because of the problems last year. This was one step taken in preparation for the review of the AHS studio by a team of top critjcs during the ten-year evaluation. Shortly after this, the school was shocked by the graphic but lso educational drunk driving demonstration. Senior year is always a time of fun-filled activities and memories. The special events recorded were the Kid Party. Semi-Formal, Prom, Senior picnic and breakfast and most importantly, graduation Worldwide events also contributed to the completion of our tape. The Summer Olympics were filled with controversy because of the political strife and drug-related problems with the athletes. One athlete in the limelight was boxer Mike Tyson because of his personal problems with actress Robin Givens. Faith was finally restored in the American space program as the Discovery shuttle was successfully launched. Closer to home, the death of cadet Tim Shepard, because of mistreatment at the local Police Academy, shocked the country. Most importantly, on election day Americans voted for George Bush over Mike Dukakis for our next president. On a r note , we were all amused by cartoon characters as Garfield’s face became fajmiliar in car .windows. Roger Rabbit made his movie debut, and good old Mickey Mouse turned 60 years old. We, the recording artists of 89. finally completed our memorable tape. As we look iback On the years d f joy, sorrow, and success, we realize that our song was turned into a SMASH HIT! We now depart into fast-forward to record our own bright 9

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Hurting the Ones That Love You!” n