A Lesson in the Gravel and Smoke
Prom season nears, and with it comes the need to remember what really matters.
There was a silence in the back parking lot that did not feel like silence at all. It was thick and heavy. Alive with the hum of consequence. The kind of silence that stays with you. The kind that settles in the chest and refuses to leave.
This morning, Xavier juniors and seniors walked out to find a scene they will not soon forget. Crumpled metal. Shattered glass. A haunting stillness hanging over the bodies of classmates made up to look like victims of a crash. Sirens wailed. Tires skidded. The sun warmed the pavement, but the mood was ice cold with realism.
Together with the Middletown Police Department and Middletown South Fire District, Xavier staged a mock drinking and driving crash. It was an unflinching simulation of what poor decisions can lead to on prom night or any night. It was theater, but the kind that leaves no room for applause. Just reflection.
Then came the helicopter.
Students shaded their eyes as the Life Star chopper roared overhead, blades slicing the air, kicking up dust and warning and fear and awe. It landed with precision and urgency in the outfield of the baseball field, and for a moment the scene was no longer a simulation. It was a message written in flashing lights. Life is fragile, and a single second can change everything.
Afterward, Officer Matt Bloom from the Class of 2004 stood in front of the students. A Xavier man himself. Now in uniform. Now with stories of tragedy and lessons learned the hardest way. He spoke plainly. From the heart. About the moments he has arrived too late. About the families forever changed. About how each student standing before him has the power to make the right choice. To call a friend. To wait a few extra minutes. To get home safely.
Prom is supposed to be a night to remember. A celebration. A beautiful chapter in a fleeting four years. And that is exactly why today happened. So that tomorrow can be full of life and laughter, not mourning and regret.
It was only a demonstration. But it was real enough to matter.