If you haven’t already heard us bragging about Frisco city departments, you haven’t been paying attention. Here’s another excellent program that is a joint effort between the Frisco Police Department, Frisco ISD and Frisco Fire Department, and it’s one you should be aware of, especially if you have tweens and teens at home.

“Shattered Dreams” is a drunk-driving awareness effort that will take place on Thursday and Friday at Centennial High School. The timing coincides with the CHS prom, which is this Saturday. (Prom is the occasion on which teens are most likely to consume alcohol)

The Frisco FD and PD will stage a scary reenactment of a drunk-driving accident, complete with bloody fatalities, crashed cars and ambulances, right in front of the high school. If you are driving down Coit between Shepherds Hill and Lebanon on Thursday, you will likely spot the program in action. (In fact, be aware that Rolater Road will be closed in all directions from Coit Road to Whittingham Drive from 9:30 a.m. to noon Thursday.)

The teen “drunk driver” will be an actual student, who will be sent to the Frisco City Jail. “Injured drivers” will be taken to Centennial Hospital, and the “victim” will be taken to a local funeral home.

Other students will be pulled from class throughout the school day and designated as “dead” by a Grim Reaper, representing the actual number of people killed in a day by drunk drivers. The school will conduct a memorial service on Friday for the “dead” students. Read all about the plans for Centennial; and, you can see a slideshow of past “Shattered Dreams” programs here.

If this sounds like a gruesome way to get teens to think twice about underage drinking and drunk driving, you’re absolutely right! Unfortunately, kids often need a Big Scary Lesson to really “get it.” If this kind of dramatic presentation is what it takes to keep all our kids safe, it’s the right thing to do. Savvy kudos to these city departments for caring about Frisco teens.