As our senior year comes to a close, prom is one of the most anticipated events of the year. It is important to ensure that amid all of the excitement, we all make it to our graduation safely.

This year, we had a successfully safe prom night that was memorable in the best ways for everyone. We don’t know if this is due to this year’s Mock Crash, but if there’s a chance it was, then it was worth it.

On April 25, we presented our 15th annual Mock Crash at Central Kitsap High School for the class of 2017. We demonstrated the harsh realities of a collision resulting from distracted and impaired driving to try to discourage our peers from making life-destroying decisions. Following the Mock Crash, we conducted our PROMise campaign, in which students pledged to be responsible, by staying drug and alcohol free on prom night.

The class of 2017 would like to thank those who made our Mock Crash possible. We would like to show our gratitude to: Kitsap County’s Sheriff Department, the Kitsap County Coroner, the Washington State Patrol, Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue, and Airlift Northwest for adding realism to the event; Silverdale Towing, for providing the cars used in the crash; Aloha Kitchen for providing a tasty meal for our actors and their families; and Central Kitsap PTSA for sponsoring our event.

Thank you to Blazing Onion, MOD Pizza, Olive Garden. Spiros, Habit Burger, Silver City, Hop Jacks, Yacht Club, Cash Brewing, Boat Shed, Moctezuma’s, and Red Lobster for their generous donations to power our PROMise campaign.

Additionally, we’d like to extend a special thanks to Steve Coons, Randy Templeton, Scott McMinds, Niki Orando, Michelle Sotelo, Sonnet Sujka, Susan Argiro, and Kate Staker for participating in the preparation and planning of the event.

Finally, we’d like to show our utmost gratitude to Marsha Masters and Mothers Against Drunk Driving for presenting this event in Kitsap County.

Prom was an amazing night for everyone and we are all sure to remember it for years to come. As we come upon some important celebrations, it is important to be safe and act responsibly during these times, and we’re sure we all will think back to our Mock Crash. We hope all the seniors remember this event for the rest of their lives and stay safe always.

Go, Cougs!

Sincerely,

Class of 2017 Mock Crash actors: Emma Gutierrez, Dawson Krog, Roque Blas, Courtney Murray, Kacey Morris, Hunter Stringer, Kennedy Jackson, Thomas Wilson, and Justin Anderson