Ghost-Out: An Eye Opener

Most young people think they are invincible, they can't be scathed, their actions won't hurt anyone. The "ghost-out" held at the Glasgow High School, April 20 was meant to change these perceptions of the local high schoolers. As many drove into school that day, they saw an overturned car, with first responders on the scene.

The local emergency departments received this as a real dispatch call. Fortunately, it was a mock accident, but many students were unaware at first. This was the first "eye-opener" of the day.

Once everyone was settled into their desks for class, the second "eye-opener" began. Selected students were cuffed and arrested for drunk driving or other incidents, and others were pronounced "dead" or hospitalized because of their actions. The convicts were given bruises and scrapes, and put into jumpsuits. The dead's faces were painted white and were given signs instructing others to not talk to them, as they were just a memory.

The third and final "eye-opener" was a student assembly in the auditorium. The dead read their own obituaries aloud, and then were "buried" onstage. After this, Myles Kittleson, Glasgow graduate and the driver in a drunk driving accident that killed a college friend, talked on his experience and how he once thought he was invincible. He expressed to the students that it is never worth it to drive drunk. His personal story was sobering to the student body. Positive feedback could be heard in conversations about the day, calling it a great experience and a wake-up call. Social media was also full of the student's awakening experience.