West Harrison High creates mock tragedy as cautionary tale ahead of prom

HARRISON COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) - A dramatic display to warn students about what could go wrong ahead of prom night was set up outside of West Harrison High School Tuesday.

Students led a mock tragedy ahead of prom night for the senior class, where 15 seniors were killed in a distracted driving incident.

Law enforcement rushed to the pretend scene, including police, firefighters, EMTs and a helicopter crew.

As witnesses to this fatal disaster, teens are able to experience what one wrong decision behind the wheel can lead to.

“I think this will reach out to a lot of people. It’s a real eye-opener. It just, like, puts into perspective during that night just to be safe out there on the road. You don’t know what might could happen,” said seniors Carter Cuevas and Jason Quintero.

“I was excited to come, but I wasn’t prepared for what I was going to see,” said school board member Betty Daniel. “These kids did a phenomenal job putting this together: the funeral and the accident scene and the first responders. It was so great to see all the first responders show up and act like it was real. You know, I was so touched that I was crying.”

“I think with it looking so realistic, it gets the point across, like this is serious. Even though we know that it’s fake, that it can be serious, and that we need to take it that way,” said senior Taylor Hopgood.

“I’ve never had the type of reaction that I’ve had this year,” said Tiffany Pollard, a teacher and senior class sponsor. “Seeing my child being part of the crash scene and then being lifted up in a helicopter, that was very true, it was just a trial experience. I was scared, I was nervous, sad all at the same time because my love was being sent up.”

The performance did not stop there.

Students also attended a funeral service for their 15 fellow classmates.

Students sang, one student served as the officiant and three others spoke in loving memory, closing the ceremony out with a student-created memorial slideshow.

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