None for Under 21 gives Aurora Seniors an important message

None For Under 21, a field trip for seniors who attend school in Portage County is an impactful wake up call. This event is meant to inform seniors of the devastating effects of distracted driving, and driving while impaired. Sponsored by Elk & Elk None for Under 21 is located at Hiram college, and is celebrating its 17th annual year of teaching students safe habits.

Senior Anthony Turchi states, “None for Under 21 was definitely impactful to me, the first speaker gave me chills and the demonstration of the car crash really hit hard, I will never drink and drive.”

To start the field trip, seniors walked into the field house through a live demonstration of a drunk driving car accident. This scene was filled with cars with shattered windows, ambulance and cop cars, and teen actors.

Senior Grace Tutkovics states, “The car crash scene made me teary eyed, picturing myself or any one of my friends in that position gave me a knot in my stomach.”

Then, the seniors were escorted into the field house listened to three speakers. The first speaker, Marc Streem talked about his fourteen year old son who died in a drunk driving accident, describing his last goodbye to his son, and the feeling he had when identifying his son’s body at the hospital.

Senior Nicole Doemling said, “Seeing the pain in Mr. Stream’s eyes and hearing it in his voice made this event real to me, I would never want my family or friends going through a tragedy like that.”

The next speaker was from a different point of view - an inmate currently serving jail time for aggravated vehicular homicide. The inmate shared her story of killing her friend, the court trials she went through, and the injuries she sustained throughout the crash, not even remembering what had happened.

The final speaker was Aaron Cooksey, a man who killed his best friend in a car accident while impaired driving. Cooksey shared his stories of drug and alcohol addiction and how it still impacts his life to this day.

As the event draws to an end, seniors enter the Walk of Remembrance - this is where family members stand in honor of their lost children from a drunk driving accident.

Senior Maddy Wolkov states, “This event will forever leave a lasting impact on my life, and is a great way to encourage students to stay safe during prom and graduation season.”