Boro officials in awe of school production

SPOTSWOOD — According to Mayor Thomas Barlow, if this doesn't convince kids not to drink and drive, he doesn't know what will. Barlowwas referring to a production given once every two years to students at Spotswood High School. The presentation is a vivid reminder of what can happen when someone drinks and drives, and includes re-enactments of everything from the injuries to the funeral eulogies, as well as the legal punishments.

During a recent Borough Council meeting, a video of the proceedings was shown, giving officials an idea of the school event's realism and poignancy. Officials credited Police Sgt. Christopher Bierman with running the presentation and improving on it every time.

"Every two years he redoes it to make it more current," Barlow said of Bierman, adding that other towns have contacted Spotswood for information on how to emulate the presentation.

So what makes it better than the usual educational techniques that educators use to warn youngsters of the perils of teenage drinking? Barlow said the re-enactment of a drunken-driving incident is so realistic that it brings tears to the faces of some students involved. In fact, the school district has even used a helicopter to swoop in and pick up the "injured" people and transport them to a hospital.

Barlow himself took part in the next stage, playing the part of a prosecutor in charge of the case. Barlow, who is an attorney by day, said the courtroom scene added to the realness of the event.

The courtroom scene was filmed last year, when the last event was held. Another is planned for May. The events are held every two years so that every class gets to see the presentation during junior or senior year. The event is held just before prom.

Barlow said Spotswood Municipal Court Judge Edward Herman also took part, of course playing the judge.

The video was edited to about five minutes for the council to view, but the truncated length did not take away from the impact.

"It's a very powerful program," Barlow said. Council President Curtis Stollen said the video was shown because not all council members can get to the presentation at the high school. He called it a "heart-wrenching event" and said the "blood is fake but the horror is real."

"The kids scream when they cover the [dead] faces with sheets," he said.

Stollen said he has been to school plays and seen good acting, but if the students involved with this weren't truly scared, they deserve awards.

Barlow said students volunteer to play the parts. Work for this year's event, scheduled for May, has already begun.

Barlow noted that the woman playing the mother of the deceased teen gave a eulogy and spoke about what plans her child had for life after high school.

"There wasn't a dry eye in the house," he said of the students' responses.