C.O.R.E. MAKES AN IMPACT

Walter Sprague
Art and Culture Reporter
 
“I got tired of law enforcement being so reactive,” said Richard McPherson, retired Pennington County, South Dakota, deputy. A poor choice leads to people getting hurt, and the law just reacts, he said. Desiring to meet the issues head-on, he talked to a federal defense attorney about the problem and received a challenge. 
“I had to change the way we were dealing with it. I had to become proactive,” McPherson said.
So, in 2006, he founded C.O.R.E., which stands for Community Organized Resources for Educating youth. And the Freshman Impact program was born. Starting in Wall, South Dakota, McPherson invited several emergency response and law enforcement agencies to bring real-life situations to students. The first Freshman Impact had a student audience of 67.
Today the program has grown to help over 12,000 students in 60 school districts and operates in four states. McPherson’s vision is well established. 
In cooperation with sheriff’s, police and fire departments and emergency medical services personnel, as well as several other emergency departments, schools and trained volunteers, McPherson brought Freshman Impact to Newcastle High School for the fourth time on Thursday, Oct. 24. Other school districts, including Sundance, Moorcroft, Upton, Lusk and Wright bused their freshman students in to participate.
Hundreds of freshmen split into seven groups at the beginning of the day. They entered Crouch Auditorium, where McPherson opened the day with a talk. “If you want good consequences, you need to make good choices,” he told the young audience.
Then Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper James Rose talked to the freshmen about how good choices came down to two things. “You have to have respect for yourselves, and you have to have respect for others,” he said.
Afterward, the groups rotated around seven learning stations at the middle school, where the students learned about good choices based on respect. They also viewed real-life examples of the consequences of bad decisions. Each station focused on a different aspect of the issues that these students could or would face. The topics ranged from drug and alcohol abuse to suicide prevention, from the need for seat belts, and the dangers of drunk driving to safe internet use, anti-bullying, and E.M.S. response.
The students learned what triggers are, how to identify them and how to use them in positive ways.  Encouraged to talk with any one of several counselors, if needed, who were readily available all day. They wore bright neon vests, so it was easy to identify them. Any student who might be experiencing some form of PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, from past experiences had access to professional help at any time during the entire program.
While many of the topics were strictly learning experiences, the students also had plenty of fun. A couple of times, the students played competitive games, such as mock Jeopardy between two teams in the Anti-Bullying session. During the class, which was presented by Kristi Lipp, the Sources of Strength community prevention specialist, and counselor Sally Hoover, the students had one-on-one races to pick up a cup following a given cue. Afterward, the winners faced off with other winners until one ultimate champion was left. The other students cheered and encouraged the winners. As such, they learned how to reach out, support each other and find the positive in a given situation. The students learned how to experience thankfulness as a way to combat depression, aggressiveness and other negative emotions. Finally, they taped their thankfulness lists on a wall.
After lunch is when the real impact happened.  NHS seniors presented a play in several acts, with the first act beginning in Crouch Auditorium. Written by the actors and based on real-life events, the first act was a reenactment of a party, where students consumed alcohol and drugs and where the behavior of the kids progressed from bad to worse. At one point, a drunken female decided to drive to get more beer. A couple of friends went with her. After a couple of text messages by someone still at the party, she stopped responding. At first, there was a bit of concern, but even that went away quickly. The curtain closed on Act 1, with a 911 call issued from the speaker system of the theater. During the recording, a 16-year-old female was frantic about a fatal car accident she had caused.
The student audience then filed out to the parking lot where the  aftermath of that accident played out. 
Gabby Downing, playing the drunken driver, was outside her wrecked car. Blood-splattered, Downing was crying and calling for help. Inside the mangled vehicles were three severely injured students, played by Jayme Cass, Tessa Vandersnick and Gunnar Wainscott. On the hood of the car Downing had collided with was Grace Rose, motionless and obviously dead. The makeup and acting were realistic, and the actors pulled no punches. The scene was difficult for the students to watch, and even the adults present were affected by the amount of realism.
After all the students were seated on the bleachers to watch the scene unfold, several emergency response departments arrived to assess and take care of the crash. Two injured students left by ambulance. A helicopter arrived and took another victim away. The county coroner arrived to take care of Rose, the ‘deceased’ girl. Downing failed a sobriety check and was arrested for aggravated vehicular homicide and aggravated assault. The arresting officer put her in the police car and drove off, with Downing freaking out.
The freshmen returned to Crouch Auditorium for mock sentencing in a courtroom setting. They watched as the consequences of drunken driving resulted in years behind bars for the driver, Downing. This play wasn’t real, but it depicted realistic situations. It makes one shudder to think what it would have been like if it had actually happened.
After the play, an open forum allowed for questions from the students. By this time, the impact of what they had witnessed was noticeable. Students displayed great respect toward the actors, the judge and attorneys, the teachers and volunteers, and the different officers and firefighters who had presented the program.
The proactive goal that McPherson originally developed does have some controversy attached to it. It is not allowed in all school districts, many fearing it is too traumatic for the students. McPherson and Upton Police Chief Susan Bridge said that the impact of the poor choices the students often make has consequences that are far more traumatic. Earlier, Bridge told the students about some of the trauma she endured because of poor decisions made by family members, which included the murder of her granddaughter. The emotional and personal story also had an impact on all who were present.
On the website freshmanimpact.com is written, “As a team, everyone works together to promote young teenagers making safe choices and preventing destructive behaviors. It is important to give our young teenagers the tools to develop life-long skills and values to make the best choices.” The website also calls for outstanding volunteers. In Wyoming, you can contact Lisa Williams at 307-334-2545. In South Dakota, you can call Rick McPherson at 605-431-4672.