Sandy Creek Central School District • News • SCCS presents a Mock DWI to educate students on the consequences of impaired driving • 5/23/2025

SCCS presents a Mock DWI to educate students on the consequences of impaired driving

May 23rd, 2025 by Jessica Sorell

SCCS juniors and seniors watch local first responders in action during a Mock DWI crash outside of their school.

Sandy Creek Central School recently partnered with a wide range of local agencies to stage a Mock DWI crash simulation for its junior and senior students.

The event was months in the making, with the goal of creating an impactful experience designed to highlight the tragic realities of impaired and distracted driving.

Student volunteers from Sandy Creeks SADD Club and criminal justice program took on the roles of crash victims. With the help of makeup and prosthetics, they were transformed to look as though they had sustained serious injuries. Once the road outside of the school was safely blocked off, they were carefully positioned in the staged wreckage for their classmates to see.

Minutes after a mock 9-1-1 call was placed, fire crews, EMS teams, and law enforcement arrived on the scene to assess injuries, administer emergency care and gather evidence from the crash site. Students looked on in silence as the crash victims were loaded into an ambulance, taken into custody or transported by a hearse.

After the scene was cleared, students were brought into the auditorium to follow the aftermath of the crash. This included grief-stricken parents being notified of their childs death, the arraignment of the impaired driver, a solemn funeral service for the victim, and a guest speaker sharing her story of survival in a crash that claimed the lives of others. The emotional weight of the presentation left a lasting impact on many in attendance.

This is one of those experiences thats hard to watch but even harder to forget, said SC MSHS Principal Steve Newcombe. I hope this will encourage students to make safe decisions every time they get behind a wheel.

Senior Probation Officer and STOP DWI Educator Stacy Lighthall praised the events scope and impact. This wasnt just a powerful teaching momentit was also a valuable drill for local first responders who dont always get to train in such realistic settings.

Participating agencies included:
Sandy Creek SADD Club (Advisor Jonn Stoker)
Sandy Creek and Lacona Fire Departments
Northern Oswego County Ambulance
Oswego County 911
Oswego County STOP DWI/Probation Department
Oswego County DSS (moulage volunteers)
New York State Police and Oswego County Sheriffs Department
Summerville Funeral Home
Menter Ambulance
Judge Peter C. Payne
Attorney Amanda Thomson
Caleb Petzoldt, Oswego County Public Defenders Office
S+R Automotive