POCONO SUMMIT, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Having fun at the carnival, but also learning about safety. How one local high school gets its students and area first responders together to prioritize being safe in the summer.
Walking on a straight line is normally an easy task, but when you’re wearing beer goggles, it makes it a bit harder.
“I couldn’t see anything at all…Like I was looking at the floor and I thought I was on the line, but I wasn’t,” said a freshman at Pocono Mountain West High School, Ronald Christian.
The goggles mimic your vision while intoxicated, helping students recognize if they’re not seeing straight. You shouldn’t get behind the wheel.
“I don’t know why people who drink and then decide to drive, when you could just call an Uber,” said Christian.
This activity is all part of Pocono Mountain West High School’s safety carnival, an annual event put on by the group, SADD, Students Against Destructive Decisions.
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“It’s our first year that we have a BearCat coming this year. All the fire trucks and all the different police vehicles, it’s all awesome,” explained the junior Brady Behr of Pocono Mountain West High School.
Local law enforcement and first responders attend to show them the ropes.
“We’re going to be demonstrating ‘Stop the Bleed’, CPR, and a lot of just first aid things. What to do in an emergency, how to activate 911, and just sort of training the students on what we do,” explained Austin Schrader, chief operating officer at Pocono Mountain Regional EMS.
Leaving an impact, Coolbaugh Township volunteer firefighter Danyyil Rudey says he remembers attending the carnival when he went to school here.
“If a student has the opportunity to go here and come back and teach other people about what they learned, and all the benefits that come with it, it’s huge,” said Rudey.
How to drive safely is a top priority at the school event.
“This time last year I was just getting my license, and it just helps show all these kids, especially if they’re just getting their license, different things that they can avoid and do to make sure that they’re good,” said junior Madison Clark.
Learning, while also having fun in the sun, before school lets out for summer.
“Looking at the different career paths and learning new safety options and being prepared for life and what could be thrown at you in any time,” said junior Hannah Bossuyt.
“It means a lot to me because I think it’s really important to keep everyone safe, and considering I’m friends with a lot of people in S.A.D.D., it’s really important we know safety precautions just in case,” explained junior Isabella Pavuk.
The student organization tells 28/22 News the event takes all year to plan, and they work to make it bigger and better each year.
