What is PATT? Parents and Teens Together...

May 19, 2009
By DAVID CONARD dconard@pioneerlocal.com

A girl in a formal black dress thrown halfway through a cracked windshield. A girl in a T-shirt with a purple face thrown from a moving car. A male driver with a bloody face failing a police sobriety test. The situation contained a sobering reality.

Lake Zurich High School administrators hope it's sobering, despite the fact its drunk driving crash simulation in the high school's parking lot wasn't real.

"We feel it's important for the kids to see the possibilities of what could happen if they drink and drive," Assistant Principal Ryan Rubenstein said. "Our purpose is more to open their eyes, get them to look at the global perspective."

A cast of students, members of the Lake Zurich Police Department, along with members of fire departments from Lake Zurich, Wauconda and Barrington simulated a two-vehicle fatal crash using donated vehicles.

A mostly-quiet audience of over 100 students watched a simulation of some classmates being cut from a vehicle by firefighters using vehicle extraction tools, put on stretchers, and in one case flown away by a Flight For Life helicopter.

Senior Katie Allen pretended to be ejected from a red station wagon.

"I really think it's a good (thing) to make people aware of what could happen," Allen said.

Senior Wade Self, who played the lead role in the school's spring musical, "Sweeney Todd," played a bleeding and intoxicated driver.

"There were people talking before, then once the demonstration started, you could hear a pin drop," Self said. "(They were) realizing what really happens during the experience.

Students had varying opinions of the demonstration, which took place a couple days before the prom.

"Obviously, it gives us new insight--what could actually happen," senior Luna Guo said. "I'm happy the city takes time to give us this demonstration."

"Another thing is they're not talking about actually drinking at prom," senior Aaron Kornick said. "It should be discussed that (drunk driving) it is only part of the problem. Other things are caused by drinking."

The students then listened in an assembly to two speakers from the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists, Shelly Anderson of Naperville and Doug Petit of Carol Stream. Both men lost children in alcohol-involved incidents.

"I had to tell (my wife) her little baby, her daughter was dead - not a pleasant conversation," said Anderson, whose 16-year-old daughter Jenni was killed by a drunk driver Oct. 17, 1997.

Petit told students his son Jonathan had drowned in a lake after consuming three times the legal limit of alcohol at a 2005 party hosted by a friend's parents.

"That's how it is in life: There is no two-minute warnings - disasters just happen, Petit said. "Parents have to be a little more aware of what's going on in their children's lives, and who they associate with."

Update:The Fun Run was great; pictures will be posted soon!
From PATT:
PATT hopes you are enjoying a great weekend. This is just a quick note to let you all know we are are working hard to put together a great JP Fun Run this year.

Our fundraiser will be held, once again, in the North Pavilion of Armstrong Park in Carol Stream on August 31. As always we are hoping for a strong turnout. The Fun Run is our annual community fund raiser and it helps us help the local youth participate in athletic activities and to provide an annual scholarship to a graduating Glenbard North student. In the past two years, PATT has contributed almost $3000.00 to the young people in our community.

This year's Fun Run is looking like it will be another wonderful day in the park. While last year we added live music to our event we have decided to go another route this year.

As you all know, projects such as the Fun Run are dynamic events and they evolve over time. This year we are going to add some new things to our Fun Run. We will have Face Painting, a Bean Bag CONTEST with prizes awarded and a HOT DOG EATING CONTEST.

The Hot Dog eating contest is being sponsored by Hot Spot Hot Dogs. Chris and Nicole are the owners of the business located at 1030 Fountain View Drive in Carol Stream. They are very graciously donating the dogs and the buns for the event. Yvonne and I are thrilled that they have decide to help us grow the Fun Run. Not only do Chris and Nicole help us out in this way...they also reach out and speak at our local schools to try and teach young folks how to grow a business in a positive and successful manner. Please become steady customers of Hot Spot Hot Dogs. The food is great and the service is quick and friendly.

Entry/pledge sheets for the Fun Run can be picked up at Hot Spot Hot Dogs. Just ask they will be glad to give you one. We hope to fill you full of hot dogs on August 31.

Each year Yvonne and I will try to add something new to the Fun Run to try and make this event a community-wide attraction. We still hope to outgrow our current venue and we realize that sometimes the route to success can be long and winding.

As I said, a quick note to all of you. Enjoy the weekend. I will try to send out another quick update or two before the run.

Thanks for you continued support,

Doug & Yvonne

Teenage Drunk Driving
By Tim H

Teenage drunk driving is a serious problem for our nations youth. It's hard to believe but more and more teenagers are using and abusing alcohol and/or drugs than ever before. Combine that with the intense peer pressure that teenagers go through and we have a serious problem called teenage drunk driving.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers between the ages of 15 and 20. One report puts the numbers of high school students who admit to driving after drinking at almost 50% of those polled. That's a staggering statistic by any means but what's even worse is that these are teenagers who aren't used to being behind the wheel, going through emotional changes/puberty, and subject to a tremendous amount of peer pressure.

The problem comes from the amount of teenagers with access to alcohol and/or drugs. Statistics show that one out of every ten teens (age 12-13) drink alcohol at a minimum of once per month. By limiting the access that these teenagers have to drugs and/or alcohol we are half way there to controlling this dangerous problem of teenage drunk driving.

Teenage drunk drivers also face some serious legal consequences that will harm them into their adult lives. They face revocation of their driving privileges, stiff fines, probation, alcohol education and treatment, and community service not to mention potential jail/prison time for a severe offense.

Overall this problem has not gotten enough publicity and awareness%u2026 most parents don't realize that their kids have access to alcohol nonetheless that they 'may' be driving drunk. The solutions to this problem encompass education, awareness, preventing access to alcohol, and most of all prevention.

DUI Arrest Help.com provides everything there is to know about DUI/ drunk driving for offenders. Get a free consultation with a
DUI lawyer and/or find the best deals on
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_H
http://EzineArticles.com/?Teenage-Drunk-Driving&id=740923

Jonathan could best be described as a very happy kid. The first thing anyone ever remarked about was Jon's ready, engaging smile. Jon had an appetite for life. He was big as a boy, but didn't seem to mind and still had many friends.
As he grew Jon became even more gregarious, and in middle school wanted to play on the football team. The coach had to break the news that he was simply too overweight to have the needed agility.
I was there at Mom's house the day Jon began his metamorphosis; it was a family gathering. Jon's Dad announced that Jon had decided to make the football team. I watched Jon agonizing, picking at a salad but staring at all the goodies on Mom's kitchen table.
I saw Jon months later on my next visit. This time I was staring. Jon was completely transformed. On his own, with no nagging or coaching, this kid dragged himself out of bed (it was often still dark outside), and jogged before school, eventually adding ankle weights. He somehow planned his own diet changes,which a lot of adults can't manage.
Jon became slim and strong, made the team, and eventually started wrestling. At Glenbard High School in Carol Stream, IL, Jon's friends often found him already lifting weights at "The House of Pain" at school, and he was often the last to leave.
Jon had become such an interesting person; his actions helped a lot of us realize we could resolve even seemingly impossible situations. I was so looking forward to Jon's future: college, career, the man I glimpsed already was such a pleasure. Jan and his friends liked to get together and play poker; Jon taught himself how to manipulate a poker chip between his fingers like the pros he saw on TV. Always challenging himself.
Jon and his Dad were best friends, watching the Packers every week during football season, riding together to wrestling tournaments.
June 2005. Dinner at his friend Roy's, a carnival, his mom's cell phone in his pocket. Jon and Roy heard about a party a few blocks away. Details will never be completely clear: an adult not supervising a party, 16 year-olds with 20-somethings, a lapse in judgment, one mistake costing a very precious life.
The what-ifs can almost break a person, but Jon taught us better than that. Jon's parents launched PATT to help educate families about underage drinking.
Jon's class graduates this year.

VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENT FOR JONATHAN D. PETIT

People vs. Zagone/Pomella
Case #05CM 5138/5139

I can honestly say one of the most joyous occasions of my life was when I became a mother. I knew from the moment I conceived my first born that he was a boy. Just like I knew the first time Jonathan was put into my arms that we had a very special bond that would last forever.
Jonathan was a happy baby who didn't sleep through the night until he was 9 months. I remember handing him over to his father when he'd get home from work at 1 a.m. He'd be all wide-eyed and smiling not wanting to miss out on anything.
As a toddler, Jonathan often dressed up as a super hero always wanting to save the world from the evil villains. Jon was only 2 when his twin brothers came along. He adjusted to this quite easily though calling them "Brouters"!
Jonathan was a happy adolescent who had a great sense of humor and was often referred to as the class clown. At 9 years old he dressed up as Santa Claus just so he could entertain the grammar school children.
When Jonathan was in 6th grade he decided that he wanted to play football. His father and I were skeptical since Jonathan would be playing with primarily 7th & 8th graders due to his size. You see Jonathan was about 50 lbs. overweight and though we tried numerous diets and exercise plans before nothing worked. Jonathan was determined though to make the team. So when the coach told him that he had to lose 20 lbs. before the first game; he did. He and his team worked very hard that year and ended up winning the Bill George Superbowl. By the end of the season Jonathan had lost 50 pounds and won the respect and admiration of his coaches and his teammates. He also started wrestling that year for Jay Stream Middle School. Jonathan took to wrestling with the same determination and passion as he did football. By the time he graduated 8th grade, Jonathan's bedroom was filled with trophies and medals. He had confidence in himself and was looking forward to his high school years.
His freshman and sophomore years seem to fly by. Our weekends were filled with football games, wrestling meets or practices. Our house was always filled with lots of boys who would raid the refrigerator and play Texas Hold Em in their spare time. It was chaotic but I loved it because my boys were happy and that's all that ever mattered to me.
On June 17, 2005 all that changed. Jonathan left with a couple of his friends around 9:15. They were headed to Carol Stream's Summerfest. I called Jon about 11:20 to remind him of his midnight curfew. He said he'd be right home because we were supposed to go to Great America the next day. When Jon didn't make it home by midnight I called again. This time the phone went dead. I continued calling every 20 minutes until about 1 a.m. I then called the Feltsons knowing that Jonathan had left with Roy. Roy wasn't home either. We both promised to call one another as soon as we heard from either boy. At around 1:20 Toni Feltson called me back. She informed me that Roy was just dropped off but he was totally intoxicated. He couldn't speak or walk and Jon was not with him. The Feltsons took Roy to the emergency room were he proceeded to get his stomach pumped. His blood alcohol level was .17. Roy was finally able to communicate to his parents at 5 a.m. He told them that he and Jon had been to a party at 719 Daybreak.
That morning my husband and the Feltsons went to the police station with the information about the party and to file a missing person's report. I have to admit I was praying that he just spent the night at a friend's house. I even stopped by 719 Daybreak and talked to Mrs. Zagone. I showed her a picture of Jon and asked if she remembered seeing him. Her response to me was that she didn't recognize him since there were so many kids there and they were all drinking, getting sick and being rowdy so she told them all to leave. By late afternoon with more facts being gathered about the party like how intoxicated my son and others were and how no one saw him after he was kicked out of the party; my world started falling apart. I spent the better part of that night and morning at the police station hoping to hear any news. By Sunday I couldn't stand it anymore so I started to enlist friends and family to help search and put up flyers. This was Father's Day and it was tearing my husband apart; especially when the police asked me for some of Jon's clothes so that the police dogs could try and pick up a scent. They did and it was around the lake. I spent Sunday night with Jon's friends and many of their parents watching the police and the divers scanning through the muddy lake. Waiting and hoping that they would find him safe somewhere else.
By Monday the media got a hold of the story and some women who we didn't even know thought she could get into the news by telephoning my house with false accusations. By this time rumors about my son's disappearance were running rapid. The whole situation seemed so surreal. My son was missing. My family was falling apart and all I wanted to do was to find him and tell him how much I loved him. I was living a parent's worse nightmare and I felt totally powerless. I spent Monday night again at the lake surrounded by more of Jon's friends. It seemed like the whole community had come out to support and pray with us.
I got the dreaded call Tuesday June 21st at 6:15 am. They had found a body in the lake. It was my beautiful baby boy. His father and I were not allowed to kiss, hold or even touch him because his body was decomposing so quickly. They had his face and his hands covered because they didn't want us to see how distorted he was. A part of me died that day. A part of my family was extinguished. We never got to say goodbye or kiss him one last time.
The coroner reported that Jon's blood alcohol level was 3 times the legal limit. This is truly astonishing since he consumed this entire amount within an hour to hour and half which is the time he spent at the party.
I want to Thank this court for giving me the opportunity to tell my story. I felt it was important for everyone to understand the horror that my family and Jon's friends endured during that awful week in June, and how our lives have been changed forever.
I will never understand how a mother and her adult child could consciously allow minors into their home provide them with alcohol and then throw them out like trash. They knew they were intoxicated and they still didn't give a single thought to their safety and well-being.
I beg this court to invoke the strictest sentencing possible in order to send a message to our community. Please do not allow these adults to get off lightly for endangering our children's lives. We need to take a hard stand on this issue so that this travesty never happens again. Please let my son's death and this court's ruling set a precedent for other adults and teens to make better choices for their future.

Thank You,
Yvonne, Doug, Jacob & Jeremy Petit

1. No thanks.

2. I don't feel like
it-do you have
any soda?

3. Alcohol's NOT
my thing.

4. Are you talking
to me? FORGET it.

5. Why do you
keep pressuring
me when I've said
NO?

6. Back off!