Shattered Dreams Information

To participate or support the LPHS Shattered Dreams Program call 281-604-7506 or visit Dr. Thomas's Site.

Shattered Dreams requires the active participation of students, parents, educators and representatives from various segments of the community. One of the major activities of the program is a staged auto crash near school involving four to five student volunteers. Sounds of a crash and voices of law enforcement and emergency responders over the public address system signal members of the student body to assemble near the crash scene.

The crash scene is realistic with emergency, police, fire and hospital responders enacting the rescue of the student volunteers who are made up to look like crash victims. Parents, who are aware of the enactment, are notified by law enforcement officers. All activities are as realistic as possible, while assuring that all participants are completely safe.

Another major activity emphasizing the number of deaths caused by drinking and driving is the removal of a "living dead" student volunteer from class every fifteen minutes to underline statistic losses due to drunk driving. An obituary is read for each "living dead" student, extolling his/her accomplishments, personality, and future dreams after he/she leaves the classroom. Each of the volunteers will receive whiteface makeup and return to the school's schedule. However, to emphasize their "dead" status, these students do not speak for the remainder of the school day.

All student volunteers participate in an overnight retreat where they join group discussions and share their feelings about the Shattered Dreams events. The program concludes with an assembly the next day. Presentations are given by all the agencies and community leaders involved. Letters written to each other are read by the students and their parents, explaining what they would have missed if the event had been real. View Picture Slide Show from LPHS's Shattered Dreams, 2005.