Severely handicapped class arrives - The Lowell

y 7V£«»rO. Jimt 7. IMS
EDITORIALS.
Keep graduation sober
Although we prcf :r to ignore this fact,
ihcre is a nvmlcrcr. mong us who strike
every day aJl acioss the United Slates.
This murderer **ilK i4 tcejiagcrs and
scriourly injures 60 teen.gen nationwide,
every dy.
Thi* murderer is the number one killer
of teenager* today. In fact, he has even left
his mark on Lowell High School, aiul will
continue in ihc future unlcu w: do
something to stop him.
In 1973. Deborah Abrahams w-j> killed
jp a drunk-driving automobile accident, li
wa. her Senior Prom nich!. and unlike
oth< r seniors' night*, ii was a night to
ren ember. Her date had been drinking.
a'.d the result was irrevocable.
•\i teenagers, the group that causes 44
pcK^nl of al! fat«l night-lime automobile
crashes, each of us must assume a very
solemn rctponsibilU/.
Now, especially as t f r?.Jujiion draws
c)n*er, this responsibility is even greater.
As school pressures subside and seniors in
particular begin to celebrate the end of the
school year, the hazards of drunk driving
also increase.
This, responsibility is simple: if you
drink, even one drink, don't drive. If a
friend drinks, don't let him drive.
Doubtless, these words have been said
to you numerous times before, possilly to
Ihc extent that ihcy have lint their impact.
Yci, before your eyes gla/c over aM you
move on to read "School Da/c." stop and
think: it it really worth ihc risk to drive
home alter orirking?
How many time* have you heard someone
say, "I can drive. I've only had a
few drink*"?
The tact is even one drink can unleash
the murderer in you.
Another important aspect of this responsihlity
is shedding the belief in the myth
mat "it's not going to happen to me." The
ctuitcci arc. it can happen to you. and if
it doesn't happen lo you. it could he a close
friend who is killed or seriously injured
just because someone had "a few drinks."
As principal A!an Fibish puts it, "I've
personally seen few case* of '-Iranidriving
deaths). b*Jl having *ccn few
docsn'i mean I've seen few ciough."
Fibish recalls an incident that took place
a few years ago. A student hud been kill
cd in a drunk-driving accident, und Uw next
day. Fibish spotted a girt standing un the
street where tier friend had been killed.
The girl +-3\ curbing her triend. out of a
ircmcrvliHit sense of anger and frustration.
The point is, we arc not alone in this
world. Our sctions affect many others. The
second you let someone into your car alter
you've been drinking, you put ihcir l«fc in
danger as welt as yours.
We. the staff of The h>»flt implore
each and every one of you to personally
take on ihi* grave responsibility. If you
know there is goin£ to lie dnnVing at a jurty.
nuke it your priority to arrange
transportation home tor you and your
friends. This needless killing can be slopped.
And the life you save by being conscious
of ihis hazard could be your own.
The Senior Prom:
It's just one more night
A certain event on May 25. i l >K5 fulfilled
the wilder* dreams of a few I,nucllit-v
Unfortunately, lhc*c luck) ones were in
the minority.
Thii event, of course, was the l'JS5
Lowell High School Senior 1"IWII - "One
More Nighl."
Beginning in January and ending tha (
Saturday at 4 p.m., Lowell senior* scarchcl
frantically for the "perfect** date. Of
course, no one is perfect: most people
would have settled for a "compatible"
datr. Yet, many student* Vrpt their cxpectii*rts
f >r perfection high even when time
was turning short.
How do we explain this phenomenon?
Thcic ii simply too much hype surrounding
the Senior Prom. This hype can be
attributed to PPP — Peer Pram Ptcssurc.
PPP sppcan all around scf:jol every April
and May. Your neighbor in Physics slyly
asks, "Do you have your date to the
PKOM yet?" W.ien >o