On April 21, every MHS freshman, sophomore and junior attended an Alcohol Awareness assembly. The keynote speaker was Mark Sterner, a man whose life completely changed when he killed his three best friends in a drunk-driving accident during his senior year of college. Sterner spoke at the high school two years ago, and Helene Fremder, the school social worker, organized the recent assembly to better inform all of the students of the dangers of drunk driving.

“Even though I saw this was my second time seeing the assembly, it still had a profound effect on me,” Charlotte Cwikowski ’11 said. “Mr. Sterner is a very powerful speaker, and his story conveys an important message about the dangers of drunk driving.”

Sterner began the assembly with an interactive set of questions. He first asked students to raise their hands if they had ever “done anything really stupid,” progressing to more serious questions. This opening piqued students’ interest and his devastating story captured their attention.

Sterner made a point to stress that he was not speaking at MHS to preach to the students or tell them how to live their lives. He chose to relive the worst mistake of his life every day because he understands the impact his story has on people.

As a result of the Coast dance, some of the MHS faculty has become more concerned about the influence of alcohol in the community. This mandatory assembly was an attempt to show the students the extreme destructive effects of excessive alcohol consumption. Sterner and members of the administration hope that students will keep this sad story in mind and that it will help them make better and more informed decisions about alcohol and drugs.