Field Trip: Decision House 2013

NCTS students attend field trip to seek answers to their MYP unit question:

How do my choices impact my personal development?

Field Trip Reflections by Kourtney & NCTS Classmates

 I went on a journey yesterday, not just any old, boring journey.  It was a field trip that taught me about life. Phebra explains, “I would recommend this field trip because some young adults are unaware of how their decisions will lead them to a path that they might not like.”  The field trip taught us that we will have our ups and downs, but we will still have to get back up, be active, and enjoy life. 

The field trip started with a live drunk driving crash scene. It showed a teenage boy who decided to go for a drive late at night, after he had been drinking. As we sat on the bleachers and watched, red, blue, and white lights from real fire engines, police cars, and ambulances reflected on our faces.  It all seemed real as the actors shouted words, blood splattered, and the emergency workers tried their best to revive the teenage boy that the drunk driver killed. We watched as a police officer tested the driver for alcohol and drugs. We watched as the police officer took the boy to jail. Then we got to see the trial and see the judge sentence the boy to 20 years.  Of course, this was just actors in a play, but it felt real, especially since the actors related the acting to real life statistics.  Tally recalls, “I learned that teenagers who start using alcohol and drugs between the ages of 13-19 are more likely to become addicted.”

The plays felt so real that I even cried during the next play.  In the next play a father raised his hand to his son and slapped him. He told his son that he would never amount to anything.  The next scene showed the young boy passed out on the floor with an orange prescription bottle in his hand; he had overdosed.  We learned that suicide is the third leading cause of death among teens, according to Stand Up! Change Teen Statistics.

During today’s performances, I learned that no matter how I feel, I need to treat others with kindness.  Even when I am feeling so mad that my face is turning red, I need to be nice and kind.  Tally shares, “I learned how important it is to make good decisions.”  Now, I ask you, at the end of the day, who is in control of making your decisions? You!

To learn more about Stand Up! Change Teen Statistics, go to: 

 http://redifoundation.org/the-show/proven-results/ 

or https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stand-Up-Change-Teen-Statistics/13585429648