High School Assembly; Prom Night

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP Left. Right. Left.

Left. Right. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Right. Left. Left. Left. Right.

Left. Left. Left. This program on UNC -TV is made possible in part by a grant from the FM Kirby Foundation. This program was made possible by contributions to UNC -TV from viewers like you. Thank you. Good afternoon, good afternoon everyone and good afternoon everyone and welcome to high school assembly. I'm Natalie Bullock -Brown and this afternoon we have a great

show about an exciting springtime event that takes place every year in schools all over the nation. It's prom night and all the drama that comes with it. This afternoon we hope to calm some of your fears. To lessen some of that drama, take a look at some hot prom fashions as well as talk about choices that can make or break the night. But first I'd like to welcome today's audience from Word of God Academy in Raleigh. Give yourselves a hand. And we have some very interested parents, teachers and prom survivors in our audience. Thank you for coming out this afternoon. Now this high school assembly is coming to you live. So you will have a chance to call us toll free and give us your thoughts about prom night. We'll bring you that number a little later in the program. We've also got some interesting guests on our panel today who we will meet in just a few minutes. But first I have a question for our audience. By a show of hands, who's ready for prom? That's just about everybody.

Okay, you're not raising your hand. Why aren't you ready for prom? It's complications. It's complications. It's like what? I have to see my day even once I go. You haven't asked anybody yet? I really? No, no, not really. So we need to help you out. We're going to help you out today. What about you? Why haven't you gotten ready for prom? I'm just not ready yet. Why? Too much complications, same as him. Too many complications, huh? It's probably not complicated. Okay, for somebody who has gotten ready for prom, what have you taken care of? Somebody want to tell me? What have you done? You have your dress, you have your tux. Somebody. Why did you decide to go to prom? Yes, sir. I decided to go to prom because I'm a junior, my mom didn't go and she said I should go. And I got my stuff ready, got my date, my tux, limo and everything. Also, you're set. Good for you. Yes, sir. You wanted to say something? I was just saying that I'm ready and already have my tux, my date, dinner set, and transportation. So pretty sick. Well, it sounds like all of you have

dates or at least the two young men that I asked. Now, is anybody going with a friend or going with a group of friends? Everybody's going on romantic dates for prom. Everybody? Yes? We're all going as a group or whatever, with couples or whatever, but it's still a group, so. Okay. What about what are you doing after the prom? Probably going home. No, after parties, no hotels, nothing like that. And when we say hotels, audience, we're talking about for parties, for parties, okay? Now, anybody else want to tell us what you're going to be doing after the prom? Okay. Yeah. Go bowling or something with a group of friends. Okay. So, let some late night bowling, recreational activities. Tell me what would make prom night a really bad night? What would need to... Well, hopefully it won't happen, but what might happen that would make you just wish you had never gone? Anybody? Yes?

If you're alpha or ruined or if you can find your prom date or something along those lines. And actually, we have someone on staff here who told us about going to prom with a date, and that date left with somebody else, so we don't want that to happen to you. Let's see, what else should we ask? What's the most exciting thing about prom night? Yes, ma 'am. Getting ready? Getting ready? Why is that the most exciting thing? You're anxious and excited and just ready to be around all your friends and turn people. Okay. And taking all those pictures and... Is anybody going to ride in a limo? Yeah? Tell me? Yeah. Me and a couple of my friends here. We're going to ride together on to an limo. Okay. So you're going to split the expense, but you're all going to have fun in the limo together. All right. All right. Well, let's get to our guests. We have an illustrious panel of guests who've come out this afternoon. I'd like to introduce Bonita Lane, a teacher in the Career and Technical Education field at Milbrook High School in Raleigh, who will be a chaperone at this

year's prom. She's also a former high school counselor. We also have Jacques Gilbert, who owns his own fleet of limousines at Primetime Limousines Incorporated in Apex, and he's also a school resource officer at Apex High School. Andy Fowler is an anatomy teacher at Sanderson High School in Raleigh, and has been planning and organizing prom since 1975. Wow. We also have Eva Perry, who is a senior at Jordan High School in Durham, who will be attending her prom this year, and Brad Balou, who is a senior at Cardinal Givens High School in Raleigh, he is on the planning committee for this year's prom. We also have Elizabeth Wellington, who covers fashion, style, and pop culture, and the news and observers' features, section, life, et cetera. Let's give our panel of guests a great big hand in applause. Now, we have a couple of people here this afternoon who know a little something about one aspect of getting ready for the night. And it just might be the biggest thing on everybody's mind. And that is, what am I going to wear? Now, Elizabeth,

you write for the news and observer. Tell us what is new and exciting in prom fashion this year. Well, this year, there are a lot of choices for young women. One of the hottest looks is the asymmetrical of the shoulder look. That has been seen on the Grammys, the Emmys, Jennifer Lopez, all the stars are wearing them. Another look that's pretty big this year that a lot of people are going for are the strapless dresses. Sparkles are big. In some cases, I've seen some girls wearing short dresses that come to the knee. Elizabeth, let me interrupt you for one second. We have some pictures that I understand you help pick out that can help illustrate what you're talking about. So, go ahead. Why don't we do... Let's take a look at some of these dresses.

Nope. We have a strapless here. Tell us about the strapless. You said a little bit about it before we started with the pictures. But tell us about the strapless dresses in general. Well, I believe this strapless is a pink strapless dress with sparkles all the way down it. It stops here at the waist. It goes all the way down to the ankles. This is a good look for girls. Keep going. This is a good look for girls who may be small on top and also without much of a defined weight for that particular look. Okay, we have also, are you seeing? We have also a picture of three girls together. Why don't you describe what they have on? These are all pretty big looks this year for prom. One is a halter type dress, two -piece. Pink and satin sparkles. I think a lot of girls this year will be wearing pinks and moles and lavenders. I think also there'll be lots of

sparkles on the eyes for eyeshadow. This is a good grouping of dresses. We have two -piece dresses. We have halter tops. We have strapless dresses. These dresses can fit girls with most shapes. I think one of the most important things that prom time is that we know that we pick dresses that fit well with our shapes. If we're really thin, we may not want to wear the two -piece because that's going to exituate your top and your bottom. If you're heavy on the bottom, you may want that full bottom dress. Like we have on the right, this young lady with another two -piece green dress. Over to the left, we have crisscross straps. And those are also pretty big this year. Pretty popular. Is there any type of body type that should not wear crisscross? I don't think I have to wear crisscross. Well, I don't think those people with rolls in the back should be wearing crisscross. So we want to lightly mark. That's not good thing. But other than that, I mean you

pretty much runs every body type. Okay, great. Thank you. Now Warren and Eva, actually I'm sorry, not Warren. Brad and Eva, tell me what are you guys going to wear for the prom? I know it's a little, there's less to talk about sometimes for guys because you got your basic tucks and everything. But Eva, why don't you start. Tell us what you're going to wear. I'm wearing a black halter dress. It's form fitting. And it does have sparkles. And what do you think you're going to do with your hair and maybe your eyes? Wear it up. And like you said, a lot of sparkles is in. So sparkles all over the body. So wherever. You know, they're skin showing. Okay. And Brad, what about you? I know you're not going to wear sparkles. But what are you going to do? Anyway, I'm wearing a tuxedo with tails. I want to go for a, you know, really formal look with a white vest and a white tie. Okay, great. Well, speaking of tuxes, we have someone in the audience, Mr. Jamie Mancheck. Why don't you come up, Jamie?

And we want to showcase for our audience a group of young men and women who will be showing some of this year's prom fashion. So Jamie, why don't you tell us what we're going to see? What we're going to see three tuxedoes today. More of a fashion forward look for the guys. And three of our employees are wearing them today with silver vest and red vest and different type ties and shirts. And today's fashion trends are going more toward longer coats with multi -button fronts from anywhere from three to five, seven buttons on the front. So we'll see a couple of those today too. Okay. Well, let's get started with our fashion show, please. Okay. Now tell me what, tell me about this young man with this coat on. Looks very nice. Well, this is Forrest here and Forrest is wearing a Perrielle's jacket, which is new for spring 2002. It's a four -button coat and it is a longer body length, so 35 -inch jacket, which a lot of the prom guys are choosing nowadays. He's got on a red vest also from the same Perrielle's collection with a black foreign hand tie. Forrest has also got a pair of nice straight leg trousers on, which a lot of high school guys prefer. And they're what it is,

a little fuller cut through the thigh and through the legs, so it's a little more comfort. And then the shoe that everybody's choosing today is a square toe shoe, again, from Perrielle's. Forrest, can I see you just do a little walk there? Let's see what you got on. Looks very nice. Very nice. And Anika, I see you have on this beautiful, what is, is that silk? Do a twirl for us. Beautiful off the shoulder dress with the crisscross straps in the back. And she's got a great back for that and the wrap. And wonderful shoes with gold accents. Thank you guys. Come on. All right, now we have here. This is Zach here. And Zach is wearing our most popular tuxedo rental for prom 2002. It's a five -button jacket, again with a little bit longer length, but the black shirt is what most all the guys are choosing. And silver vest and ties are most popular accessory this year. And how well does the black

and the silver go with, you know, any color? Any girls color dress so that the black and silver is going to go with. Great, now Zach, you got to come out here. Let us see you. Great, and tell me about the pants because you were saying that the straight leg is what guys are going to do. This is a standard tuxedo trouser here. It's a double reverse pleat with the satin striping down the leg. So it's your standard tuxedo trouser. And it's normally what most men's pants are styled by. Okay, and we have Miss Lauren. Let's see you. Beautiful dress with straps. And very little plunging back there with some ruffles in the back. Beautiful, you guys look very nice together. Thank you. All right, and move our third. And look, he's got two women on his eye. Yeah, this is a lucky hank. Hanks and the Loubium collard coat. This is a little bit different collard. It is styled after a casual shirt collar. So it lays over and you don't put in front of it there. It's also made of a lighter weight wool. It's a Super 110s wool, so it's softer to the hand. And

Hanks got on a new shirt we have for this year. It's a microfiber shirt. Again, nice and soft. So in that big night, you're going to feel comfortable in it. You're not going to feel real stuffy. Let me see your shirt, Hank. I see that this is the microfiber. This is a microfiber shirt, which is very popular in men's fashion. Fashion these times. Okay. And he's also has on the perials vest similar to what forced head, but in our silver collar with the coordinating foreign hand tie. And this, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. This vest is a full bag vest here. So when you do take your coat off, it still gives you a nice good look. Great. And what about the pants? Same straight. These, actually, these pants are styled a little bit different. They have what's called a braided satin stripe down the outside of the leg. It's a lot of guys prefer something which doesn't stand out as much as a satin striping down the leg of the trouser. And again, he's wearing the square toe shoes. And is that more comfortable? Yeah, the square toes are really comfortable. And they have a padding inside of shoes. So when you're on your feet for seven, eight hours of time, they're still pretty comfortable. Great. Now, Hank, do your stuff. Let us see you.

Very nice. Oh, he's going to take off the coat. Thank you. Great. Now we have, uh, you guys, tell me your names again. Huh? Sora, Sarah, and Laura. Let's see Sarah. And actually, uh, I understand that Sarah and, and I think Anika, who had on the butter colored dress, they switched dresses this year. They went to prom last year, switched dresses to get a new look without spending more money. Laura, let's see you. Beautiful, a -line dress, spaghetti straps, and is this chiffon that we have on? Beautiful. Beautiful. Fish tail design. You guys look great. Thank you so much. And thank you, Jerry. Thank you. Okay. Um, Sarah. Sarah. Sarah. Tell me about your dress. Just give us a little

bit more information about it. How'd you pick it out? Uh, it's Anika. Let me borrow it. She wore it last year to prom. Okay. And Anika, that's why I said that. So Anika, tell us how you picked out that dress. Um, my mom found it. She picked it out for you and saw it, and she took me back to the store, and I liked it, so we bought it. Okay, and so Sarah, Anika's wearing your dress, right? Yep. Okay, so tell us how you picked that one. Sarah. It's her. Okay, Lauren. Tell us about your dress. What? My dress. Um, I actually just got it about a month ago. Okay, where'd you go? Uh, David's bridal. Oh, right. And they had a big selection, so I got to choose different colors in the same style, so it's nice. So it's very smart. So, um, you have picked something that, you know, you could actually wear a wedding at some point. Now, I have to tell you my little prom dress story. I picked out a prom dress in a catalog, and it was kind of expensive. So what my mom did is she took it to a seamstress who we knew, and she made it

for me for a lot less money than we probably would have spent if we bought it wholesale. So, um, I think there's a picture over there of me for prom, and I took a friend. A friend. That was not my date. That was a friend. And I wanted to go with a friend because I didn't want to deal with all the potential drama of a date. So I took a friend, and that's what you saw. So now, anybody else have any prom stories? Anybody gone to prom? That's a senior. You went your junior year? Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I had like a limo and everything. You went last year? Mm -hmm. And did you take a date? Yes. Okay, so we, we, we, okay, we're, we're, we're, we're seeing that people are going out. Okay, let me ask Miss Vanita. Tell me, as a school counselor and someone who has seen two kids go to prom, as well as someone who's shaperone prom, what sort of things would you say, um, kids need to think about, or you would want them to think about as a shaperone? I think they need to think about being

safe on prom night and enjoying themselves. I think it's something that seniors look forward to, juniors and seniors. And they really have a lot of fun, and we have a lot of fun watching them enjoy. And a lot of them want us to see them dressed up and coming out for that special night. Well, what are some ways that, that kids can save on prom night? And I'll ask you. Well, it's really important. I mean, they think it's really important that they, everybody does the same thing. But, um, I've tried to talk to some of the kids that they could, um, have their moms fix a really nice dinner in the dining room. You know, you used to go to China and the crystal. And because by the time they get the dress, they go out to dinner, and most of them rent a limo, you know, you're talking several hundred dollars for one night, which is a lot of money. So, eating at home nicely would be one easy way to do it. Great. Jack, did you go to your prom? Yes, I did. And how much did it cost you? Back in 87, I would say about five hundred dollars total. Five hundred dollars total. And so, what was that, just break down the expenses for me? Well, I rented a tuxedo, and

I drove myself to the prom. I borrowed my uncles Cadillac Seville. That was hot back then. And, um, and that was basically it. Took my date. My date took care of her own expenses. And I took care of my expenses and made things a whole lot better. Okay, great. And, Eva, you have already bought your dress. Tell us, give us an idea of how much, if you don't mind, how much have you spent so far for prom? Actually, this year, I spent less than I did in my sophomore year going to prom. And, um, I spent this year, I spent 150. 150. And that's not bad, actually. Let me show the audience some basic expenses that we've figured out, just to give you an idea of how much you can expect to pay. And, um, what Eva just said is actually really good. We figured out that it costs at least a thousand dollars for a girl, depending on their dress, where they get their dress from, their shoes, their hair, their nails, their makeup. If all of that is done professionally, then most likely you're going to have

a lot of money that you're going to spend. And, for guys, I think we came out with a total of 250. And, Brad, did you spend that much? Or do you anticipate spending that much? I think about total, maybe 300. About $300. Now, break that down for me. Um, Tuxedo was about a hundred corsage. My, my ticket, my dates ticket, um, limousine. I'm doing what she said. I'm having dinner at a friend's house, a group of us are. Great, great. Now, what sort of expenses do, and this is for anybody? And, actually, I'll ask Elizabeth since we haven't heard from you for a second. What kind of expenses need to be shared, do you think? If any? Well, definitely the limousine rental. That should be shared. Um, because everybody's taking the limousine together. Um, dinner should be shared. Um, personal expenses like hair, dress, and nails. That's up to the, the young lady who's going to the prom. Um, let me ask you why Elizabeth, did you go to the prom? No, I did not go to my prom. And why didn't you go?

Like that young man said earlier, it was just too much drama. It was too much drama. So, it was so much. I mean, you needed dresses and shoes and dates. And my mother and I were having a disagreement about what time I was supposed to come home. And it just, it was easier just to... Well, I wish I had gone though. You do wish I had gone. Okay, listen to that. So, if any of you were thinking about not going, you don't want to regret this later. Vanita, is there anything that you would say to parents about just encouraging kids to go or things that parents should think about in preparing for prom? I think they should encourage their kids to go because they have pictures for the future. And really, a lot of students go just to take pictures. But that's something that should be in your memory collection for the future. Any... It's a special night out. I'm sorry. It's a special night out for them. Yeah, absolutely. Now, does anybody have... Well, Andy, actually, let me go back to you.

You said earlier that kids need to make sure that they're safe. They need to think about things that will keep them safe. Anything you want to add to that? Well, I think they should use good judgment in pretty much the kids know who they're hanging around with if there's going to be alcohol involved or drugs. And just make smart decisions about who to hang around with, who to go with, or who not to go with. And is there any difference between going with a date or going with a group of friends or going with a cousin or going with a friend, just a friend, whether it's a girl or a guy. Jack, I'll ask you. I don't think there's any difference. And that's what I find to be the problem with most students at Apex High School. I'm the police officer on campus there. They're really worried about who are they going to choose to take to the problem. And I always encourage them to, you know, they can go solo or they can go with just a friend or a relative. Right. Eva, who are you going to take to prom with you if I may ask? A friend from Raleigh. Okay. Right. How late is too late, do you think? As a

senior who is, you know, getting ready to go into the real world and going to college. How late is too late? I'm prom night. And in terms of when you get back home? Like, I think she said it before. I mean, it's a special night. So I think things should be, you know, curfew. Should be negotiable. I mean, you know, nothing outrageous, you know, all night. Because there is a lot that could happen out there. But too late, I would say is, you know, the next morning, you know, when daylight comes. But I mean, also, I think, you know, if your parents touched you, I know what you're doing, they know what you are, and you're going to be doing what you're doing. And I say, then, I shouldn't, I don't think it should be a problem. Okay. I want our audience to just be aware of the fact that we want to hear from you. So you see the number on the screen, 1 -800 -555 -3120. Give us a call. Let us know what you think. Now, are there any parents in the audience? Okay, ma 'am. I'd like to know from you,

do you feel like prom night is a night when curfews should be lifted, when things should be a little less strict than they might be during the rest of the year? And we'll get to you. I'll say I feel it, but I'm not sure that I really feel that it should be lifted that much because of the kinds of things that happens or has been happening to children. So I would think that a little past 12 is long enough, or that's me. I think the sooner they come home, after the prom, the safer that it is. Okay, great. Now I want to know from the audience. What do you guys think about coming home by midnight? Yes, sir. If I was her child, I'd be on punishment in the next day. So I didn't do it. Because you would not come back by midnight. What time would you come back by? Probably like three. Three in the morning? What are you doing from midnight to three? Children, whatever. Getting into some drama.

Probably, but you know it. Okay, Jack, you have a fleet of limos. So you kind of know, I'm sure you have stories for us. What are kids doing after prom? And what sort of things do these kids need to think about? Well, most of the time when students rent limos for prom, they're storing at about five o 'clock, you know, getting picked up, everybody getting picked up, and then they go out to dinner. And then by the time they get dropped off of the prom and into prom, it's around midnight and their time is up with the limos. So we just dropped them back off at a location they choose. And that's it. So we really not aware what's going on after the prom. Well, what kind of locations are you dropping them out? Is it usually home? Most of the time it's home. And there are times there's hotels. At prime time limos, we usually try to get involved with the parents when they're setting the limos, just to let them know, give us a place where they're supposed to be, dropped off that. Okay, I understand that you are sending out a press release to parents this year. Would you tell us a little bit about that? Sure. What I'm encouraging parents to do is when they're choosing their limousine service,

make sure they do their homework with it, because they're, of course, with anything, a lot of bad apples out there. Most important thing they need to make sure they do their homework on is their reliability of the limo service. They can do that by contacting a better business bureau, just to make sure they are a reputable company. Also, make sure they have adequate insurance, because there are a lot of limos out here that don't have adequate insurance, which is a million to five coverage on every, on every car. Also, if they're going to put out a deposit on a limo, no more than 5 % of the total bill. And if they can, make sure the parents put that on a credit card, because if the limo doesn't show up, which it does quite often, they can challenge that deposit and get it back. Okay, thank you. Now, Andy, I understand you have memorabilia from proms long ago. So, would you tell us about what you have? I did have a lot of memorabilia, but I just brought a couple things because the last prom I

did two years ago, the theme was the night to treasure. And this was our invitation, which we thought the girls would like it. The guys went crazy over it because the invitation is actually on this little piece of paper that you can pull out. And it was a nice little momento, so I had a couple extra ones, so I just keep them in my room. And so I thought that was kind of unique. And the favor that we gave that year was in keeping with the night to treasure type with this little message and a bottle type thing, they could put their pictures in. And that's actually me and my husband when we were in college and then a curling. So I just thought that was kind of interesting because it was something different. Now, kids got to kick out of it. How much do the kids do the kids have to pay anything for the photo -momential? No, this is the favor that the junior class gives to everybody that comes to the prom. Great. We, at Sanderson, we are one of the few schools that still has our prom at the school. We decorate the gym. We decorate the lobby. We decorate the entryway. And that's one of

the fun things is when the kids come in. The seniors come in because it's been real hush hush. You know, did they get there? And when they walk in, they don't even recognize where they are. They're just, and just watch their faces. And they're just like, wow. And so, you know, usually, because I've had so much to do with them, just stand there because I'm really proud. I'm proud of what the kids have done. And we do charge a ticket price. It's been $25 for a couple for the last several years. That inflation hasn't really got away with that, because that helps to defray the cost of, you know, the prom. Because we spend about probably $7 ,000 with all the decorations. Wow. That's a lot. Brad, I know you're on the planning committee for Cardinal Gibbons. What sort of things, if you don't mind sharing, are you guys trying to put together? Well, a lot of the parents help out at our school. We have a great group of parents that help. So, they turn to the committee for, like, a student to put what songs they want played, the theme, things like that. We have our prom at the Cardinal Club downtown. And it's $35 a person. So, it's really nice. Great. Well, thank

you. And now, a lot of people get focused on what the girl is wearing. But it's the guys' prom, too, right? So, guys, do you ever feel like the emphasis is strictly on the girl? Yes? My name is Irina. Yes? I mean, you have never really thought that. I mean, it's like the girl's night. So, I'm just like a shampoo room pretty much. You're already out of me. Okay. So, you feel like you're an escort. Okay. All right. Well, we're going to take some time out for the guys to find out what they're wearing this season. And to help us out, I'd like to introduce Jamie Manshack, like retail supervisor of Tindles Formal Wear and Durham. And actually, Jamie, we come on up here for a second. We've already seen the guys in their Texas. But is there anything that you would like for people to know this year as they're thinking about prom and what they're going to wear, what sort of things they need to buy? Well, generally, we would like our prom customers to come in, at least three weeks before your prom date to get you in the best selection possible. Being a

locally owned business here in Durham, we do have stuff for last minute customers that come in maybe a week before, just a few days before, or something happens in there, suddenly invited to go to prom at the last minute. So, we can't get them in pretty much anything they would like. But selection is the most important. So, we do recommend coming in early. And is now a good time? Now is a great time. We do have a lot of business in our stores. And it's really picked up over the last two weeks for prom. But most of our proms are going to take place, either the last two weeks in April or the first two weeks in May. Okay. Well, thank you, Jamie. Thank you for bringing the guys. And I want to thank Elizabeth and Eva and Brad. And I think that's it. For coming in, we thank you so much. We appreciate you being here. And now we're going to... Audience, give them a hand. Sorry. Now, you've got your date lined up, or you've decided to go with friends. And you know what you're going to wear, and you've got money in your pocket. And prom night can

be a lot of fun if you make smart decisions throughout the night. But there's a potential dark side to prom that we want you to think about in hopes that it won't happen to you. In North Carolina, over 4 % of the victims of traffic accidents are killed in alcohol -related accidents. And 4 -10 % of 1 % are killed when alcohol is not a factor. So the odds are 10 times greater that someone will die in an accident when alcohol is a factor. Quite often, it's not the drunk driver that is killed or injured, it's innocent victims. What we're about to show you is a car crash that was staged and dramatized by students in the sad chapter at Central Chatham High School. The techniques used are not intended to be actual rescue procedures, but the entire reenactment was staged before a live audience of students, with the hope that it might send a powerful message to anyone who is planning to drink and drive on prom night or any night. It's an example of what can happen if a prom night fantasy turns into a

prom night tragedy. Oh my god, Wendy! Who are we going to do? Are you okay? Oh my god. And what? So Wendy got the - You call? Don't come along. Go, go, go, go, go. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. You're okay. We'll be here today. Please come down. Come down. You're gonna run. Come down. Please come down. Why are we here? It's a problem for us. Get him, get him, get him, get him, get him, get him, get him, get him, get him, get him, get him, get him. Get him up, get him

up. Get him up. Get him up. Get him up. Get him up. Get him up. Get him up. Get him up. I got Rodger. Wait on the back side. Rodger. What you got, Gis? One, three, three, four, three. Totally alright, Rodger. I just want to help. One green tag. Two green tags. One green tag. Two green tags. Okay. Thank you, ma 'am. You may have 10 -15. Okay. Where's Holly? She's being taken care of. All right. We'll just put this on her under here. Let me do the move. What? All right. All right. All right. Good night. All right.

You're driving this car, sir. You've been drinking? Yes, sir. See driver's license. What happened, Mr. Johnson? I don't know. Something, or something. Some, like a mild crash, I don't know. What have you had to drink? Just two beers, two beers, sir? Yes, just two beers. Okay, right back over here. Look at me. Right. Just stand right here. Look at me. Look at me. Can you see me? Yes. Okay. Look at me. See my ink pen? I want you to follow my ink pen with your eyes and don't move your head, okay? Got that? Okay. Just your eyes. Don't move your head. Okay. You can't do it. Okay? Sure you only have two beers. Yes, sir. You're not holding up to be drinking. I'm sorry, sir. You know I'm not drinking. I'm going to stick this right here in the corner.

Okay. Alright, here we go. Okay? Huh? Alright. Keep your arms off. It's not that hard. We ready to roll? Get ready. Get ready. Ready? Ready? Can you need me help? In there? If you want. Just take your shoulders. Yeah. I'll take your heels and clean them. Alright. Okay? Yep. We'll get a one to the end. Alright. You see? Alright. One more time. Yes. Ready? Alright, go.

See you at the bad hour. Alright. Alright. See you at the bad hour. Alright. See you at the bad hour. Alright. One more time. One slap. Alright. Ready? Very good. Alright. She's on. Yep. That? Donnie. You know what I'm saying? Very good. Alright, she's on. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Sorry, no. No! No, not my sister, no! No! I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! No, I'm sorry! No! No! I'm a violent parent, sir. No! I'm sorry!

I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'd like to introduce our guests who have just joined us. We have Harriet Sutherland, the state coordinator for SAAD, which stands for Students Against Destructive Decisions, and she's also a parent. We also have Erica Honeycutt, Director of Youth Services, at Interact, a nonprofit organization that serves the needs of victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and dating violence. And remaining with us are Vanita Leverie from Milbrooke High, Andy Fowler from Sanderson High, Jacques Gilbert of Primetime Limitines, and Apex High and Brad Baloo of Cardinal Gibbons. Thank you, guys. Now, we've talked about some very serious issues, where we began to talk about some serious issues right before we cut to the roll -in. Now, Jacques, let me ask you, I'm going to ask you again, as a limo driver, what are some things that you have witnessed that are kind of tragic, that you wish you had not had to see or that you wish had not had to

happen to teens out on prom night? Honestly, as a limo driver, I've never personally observed anything that's tragic, involving prom night. It's police officers at different stories, of course. Yeah. Well, what do you tell the kids at Apex High about preparing for prom? Well, Ashley, I tell them, you know, every decision they make, you know, there's going to be consequences if they make that bad decision, and they just need to be extremely careful on prom night. There's a lot to go with it. Right. Harriet, how does sad work, and is there any special effort that goes on big nights like prom or homecoming graduation? Yes, very much so. Sarah is an organization that is run by students, four students, and the whole idea is to our students to understand that they are in control of what happens to them in their lives. And in the same way that in people

can be influenced to make negative decisions, they can be influenced to make positive decisions. And that's what sad is about. And on prom night, most young people see this as this is the night that they are adult this night. They can do whatever they want to do this night. And so they are, they want to be unshapped around, unsupervised. So we try to get them to realize that there are other alternatives to going out and drinking and getting involved in other destructive decisions. Great, thank you. We have a caller, Robert. Can you go ahead, Collard? Welcome to High School Assembly. Right, hi, Deborah. This is Robert Jan Hitchpat. I spoke with you the other day. I think it's really important that we understand that these are youngsters who want to engage in adult behavior without the responsibility that goes with adult behavior. Oftentimes it will depend on whether we're talking about young

adults or just older children. And we have to make that distinction and as parents are, as professionals who work with adolescents. It's real important that we understand that the prom night is an extremely important night and are an event for these young people. They want to make it the best and the most adult time that they can have. And as parents, we want it to be a responsible and safe time for them. Every 10th car that we see on the weekends, which most proms are held on weekends, is driven by a legally impaired or a drunk driver. Robert, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but we need to go on. We thank you for your call. Erica, do you have anything in response to say in response to what our call are just mentioned? I think part of it starts at home, talking with your kids, letting them understand the issues about alcohol. Something that I know about as a director of youth services is date rape drugs. Kids call it GHB,

Liquid E, Liquid X, Rufanol, which are Rufi's role, RZ. I think talking with your kids, both about alcohol as well as date rape drugs, sexuality, their self -esteem, how much they really are worth to themselves and to the family will really help your kids make great decisions on prom night. I'd like to ask Andy and Vanita, I believe you're a parent as well, Andy. When you guys were preparing for your kids to go out on prom, were these, I don't even know what some of the things that Erica just said are RZ and you know what? It sounds like wrappers to me. But what were you dealing with as parents when your kids were preparing for prom, Vanita first? Well, when my children were preparing for prom, that thing, the biggest thing was who are you gonna go with? Really wide and concerned about drugs or alcohol because they didn't indulge or seem to be interested in it and we knew the people that were taking them so we had checked them out. In fact, one was a very good friend of

ours when we were in New Jersey. So we knew who they were going with, we knew where they were going when they were gonna come back and they knew the rules, no alcohol at all and to treat each other like ladies and gentlemen. So we didn't have any problems. And that's pretty much my children graduated in 93 and 95 and we were lucky and they were well -behaved children because they knew the consequences and we knew their friends and I think there's a lot to be said for the fact that the parents know who your children are going out with and the expectations that they have. So I guess we were really lucky in that respect. Very much so. We have another call, Toya from Durham. You're on the line. Welcome to High School Assembly. Thank you. I'm a parent as well as I've been a high school teacher and one of the things I wanna emphasize to your listeners and to your audience, I agree with most of your panelists and saying, you know, don't be afraid to say no. Don't be afraid to say no to drugs and don't be afraid to say no to

sex. Don't be afraid to take a stand and resist that. It's important to stay at the prom and enjoy the prom but after the prom, the after the prom is the part that gives us most concern as parents and just understand it as parents, we were once your age and we once were at the prom and it's that after prom activity that is most dangerous drugs and alcohol can lead you to put your defenses down and engage in something that after the prom is over, that situation is still lingering and it's something that will not change and go away just because the prom date itself has changed. So I just encourage the children to think about that and to be wise in their decision making and don't be afraid to say no because the fun is really in the right surpasses at the prom, not in putting yourself in a life threatening or in a situation that you will regret later on. Thank you, Toya. Now Brad, since you are a remaining student on the panel, what sort of things, are you thinking about any of this? Do you know what RZ and liquid X and those types of things are and are you

dealing with the possibility of this being introduced at your prom? Yeah, I know there is a lot of pressure to drink on prom night and we had a prom promise at our school and during lunch periods students or could come down to the lobby and sign a, and I signed it and I got a pen and a lot of people did. So that's how I think we deal with it at our school. Great, now let me ask the audience a question. We're talking about really the after party, what happens after prom? Now a lot of kids get caught up in the idea of oh this is gonna be romantic and you know it's gonna be a beautiful night. What do you guys think about as far as where your ideas of romance come from? Do you look at prom as being a romantic night? Yes, Eva. I think, I mean it depends on who you're going with. If you're going with a friend, then I mean it can be a friendly thing, but if you are going with a date or a boyfriend, then it is gonna be romantic.

I mean to the extent you wanna take it is what you're a decision and it just really depends on who you go with. But when we talk about romance, what are we talking about? What do you mean when you say it is going to be romantic? Sex, I mean I don't know what you're talking about? I'm asking you. Yeah, I mean getting a hotel room, whatever, that's the ideal stereotypical thing to do for prom. But I mean that doesn't necessarily have to be romantic, maybe just spending time with that person or something like that. Thank you. Anybody else? Yes. Um, about that part? Yeah. I mean most people do have sex after the prom. That's a real boy. You just have to be careful and just know what you wanna do. Have you gonna do it and do it if you're not? Then don't do it. Okay, and I have to step in just for a second. I'd like to issue a challenge both to the girls and the guys. Um, I mean, like the big movie that came out was American Pie. They're these dark bits and unfortunately these are your sons. People who do try to rape or to try to commit sexual assault or not ugly dirty trolls that jump out of the bushes.

They're the guy sitting beside you. They're your friend on the football team. They're the quiet guy in your labs. Unfortunately, most rapists are people that you know. It's not going to be a stranger. My challenge to the guys is if a girl says no, a girl says no. It's one consonant, it's one vowel, it's a short word. If there's any hesitation, be a man. Show where that you respect her. Show where that you're not gonna push her. For the girls, I challenge you guys to respect yourself. I can give you plenty of tips on safety, but the biggest thing on prom night is you're with somebody that's wonderful who obviously thinks that you're beautiful and great and have a good time but recognize your own boundaries and don't be afraid to tell him that you're not ready but be very clear. Don't give him misguided signals. Be really clear. You're worth being clear and you're worth waiting for. Marika, let me ask you about mis, mis of concerning reports of rape or false reports of rape. Actually, well, one of the biggest myths is that women falsely report

rape all the time to pay back a guy or to get even with an ex -girlfriend or to cause trouble. Actually, the statistics from the FBI show that rape is actually has the lowest number of false reports of any other crime. So you're talking burglary, you're talking larceny, or any other crime, they all have higher rates of false reporting. Unfortunately, about 80 % of women who are sexually assaulted never report it to the police. It's very embarrassing, it's humiliating for them which shouldn't be. Rape is never a victim's fault. It's always the perpetrator's fault. And that's why one of the concerns about date rape and other myth is that it's always a stranger. Unfortunately, it's not. Most rapeists are someone that the victim knows. And now with the drugs that I had talked about, the GHB and the Rufanol, the scary part about those is people think about them being put in drinks at bars. But these drugs are odorless, they're tasteless. You can buy a dime size Rufy

pill for five bucks on the street. It can dissolve in your glass within 15 seconds. The effects can happen in 15 minutes. What I encourage girls to do, just to be safe, hang out with your friends. Make sure that you always watch what you're drinking, whether you choose to drink alcohol or whether it's soda or punch. And make sure you watch your drink. Stay with your friends. Don't let people wander off in their rooms with people unless you feel that things are really comfortable. So that's why it's just really important to be aware. And for parents who don't know all those phrases I threw out, go home tonight and ask your kid, what the heck is liquid E? What is this? Your kids know what it is. And parents need to know what it is too. Thank you, Erica. And what do you tell kids and particularly girls at Sanders and how do you advise them or before prom, especially in regards to alcohol and the potential for not only accidents, but for impaired decision -making and possible consequences? Well, one of my famous quotes is, you're responsible for your own actions. And I just emphasize that over and over again, because you

guys know that you are responsible for your own actions. And if you choose to make a bad decision, it can just ricochet and just cause problems down. And this is kind of getting off the subject, but I haven't heard y 'all mention this much. And I don't, maybe this was like with my kid's errors, but a lot of the parents would organize breakfast after the prom and they go to my house and watch a couple of videos. And that's what a lot of kids did. And I think, as far as I know, that still goes on pretty much at Sanders. And I think that's kind of an easy, fun way that you're out, you're not at home, but you're not out doing things that might not be so good, because they love to watch videos and love to eat. So, you know, and you've got them sort of there together. Right. Harriet, as a parent, I don't know how old your child is, but if she's close to, or if he or she is close to prom, age, what sort of things, especially since you work with

Sad, would you tell them in preparation for prom? Well, one of the important things is to, before you go out on your date, agree, decide together where you're going to go after the prom, if you're going to go out after the prom, rather than, you know, leave it all up to the guy where he's going to take me. This is that you decide where you're going to go, what you're going to do, you decide what your limits are going to be, and stick to your limits. And alcohol, we talked about, I think somebody mentioned if you choose to drink, you need to remember that alcohol consumption under the age of 21 is against the law. So, it's zero tolerance, not point, whatever, it's zero tolerance. And if you have any drinking, and you will stop by the police, you know, there are serious consequences to that. Right. Also, some of the schools have,

what they call an all -night bash after the prom, and it might be at a community center, it may be back at the school in a different place, where it's decorated, there's food just like if you went to a hotel, there are teacher and parent -shaperones, and the students come there, they dance, they do limbo, they do karaoke, they do whatever, all night long. So, even though they go home in the morning, go to bed or whatever. So, even though they're out all night, the parents feel much better, because they know where they are, and they have adult shaperone. Let me get Venina in. What sort of rules are there at Millbrook High, regarding prom, and very quickly, if you can? First of all, they have to purchase the tickets in advance, and they have to present those tickets at the door themselves. The prom is over at 12 o 'clock, so they're encouraged to have the transportation lined up to parents or whoever to pick them up at 12. They're supposed to stay in the dance the whole while, they're not allowed to go out

and come back in, and that's a safeguard, I think. And those are the main rules and any other rules that apply during the regular school hours apply for the prom also. So, most of the students really want to come and have a good time, and we don't usually have a problem. Great, thank you very much. Well, audience, let me ask you a quick question. At word of God, since most of you guys are from there, I understand that everybody can go to prom. So, do you think that that increases or decreases or doesn't have an effect at all on how many, you know, the possible negative things that could happen in prom? Just let me see a show of hands. Do you think it helps? Let me see your hand, to have rules. Do you think it helps? Okay, thank you. We've talked about some very serious issues in these last minutes, and it wasn't to put a damper on the excitement of prom night, but to give you some advice, to make sure your special night is as bright and fulfilling as you've dreamed. Prom night is an

opportunity to really exercise some independence and making sound adult decisions, as well as having the time of your life. We hope all of you will enjoy prom night, whether you decide to go or not. And if you'd like more information about any of today's guests, their businesses, or how you can support the work of their organization, please visit us online at www .unctv .org -backslashhsa for high school assembly. Or you can call us at 919 -549 -7166. For high school assembly, I'm Natalie Bullock Brown, take care, be safe, and have fun. Goodbye. Thank you. Thank you. Bye.

Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye.

Bye. Bye. Bye.

Bye. Bye.