Glass shattered , metal mangled ... then it was silent . On May 15 , 500 Rockville High juniors and seniors , as part of their seminar class , ventured out to the school’s front lawn for a mock crash . Fourteen Peer Advocates , dressed in black t-shirts and chalk-white faces for “ White-Out Day , ” ( depicting people killed in drunk driving crashes ) stood in front of two tarps . The tarps were pulled away from the two cars donated by Leveille’s Auto Recycling in Somers . One classmate lay dead ; she had gone through the car’s windshield . Two others in the back were injured – one needed to be taken away by LifeStar . The driver had been driving drunk , following a prom after-party . The driver of the second car , who was able to walk around and consoled the mother of the teen “ killed” in the accident , was eventually placed on a backboard herself and taken to the hospital .

It was prom night – a night to remember . It would be remembered for all the wrong reasons .

Vernon police , fire and ambulance arrived , working to extricate the passengers of the Pontiac Bonneville . Life-Star landed to take one of the injured passengers , played by senior Rachel Brady , to the hospital . But for Beth Vorchheimer , it was a hearse that picked her up . Her mother , Sue , stood by helplessly , watching as Ladd-Turkington-Carmon Funeral Home employees put her daughter in a body bag .

Students in the crowd cried , as they watched their friends portray the victims .

“ That was intense , ” said senior Lisa Crabb .

“ Those are my friends – we go to school with those people , ” said senior Crystal Hayes .

“ It was just really effective having everything – the ambulance and police officers , ” said senior Katie Petersen .

But it wasn’t over . The girls , along with their classmates , were about to hear from a mother who has suffered the heartbreak of losing a child . For Sherry Chapman , it wasn’t a mock crash that took the life of her teenage son , Ryan , in December , 2002 .

Chapman is one of the founding members of “! MPACT , ” or “ Mourning Parents Act , ” a non-profit organization with a mission to eliminate tragedies caused by inexperienced drivers through awareness , education and legislation . The parents of three teens developed ! MPACT after their children were killed within 11 days of one another in three separate accidents .

A late-night phone call changed Chapman’s life . It was a hospital nurse , calling to tell Chapman that Ryan had been in an accident . “ He’s with the trauma unit , ” the nurse said . “ It’s serious . ”

When Chapman arrived at the hospital , she and her husband waited for word on Ryan’s condition . A doctor and nurse came to deliver the news .

“‘ I’m sorry – he rallied there for awhile , ’” Chapman remembered the doctor saying . “ I knew that meant Ryan had fought very hard . ”

The doctor suggested seeing Ryan for one last time for “ closure . ”

“ I was afraid to see him – a mother always makes things right for their kids , and I couldn’t make things right , ” Chapman said .

He was a ghastly whitish-grey color , Chapman said of her 19-year-old son . She spoke of planning a funeral and trying to decide what kind of casket a teenager would want and where Ryan should be laid to rest .

“ I visit the cemetery almost every day , ” Chapman said . “ This is how I care for my boy . Instead of making him dinner or doing his laundry , I make things right for him at the cemetery , ” she said , referring to cleaning up around his grave site and fixing toppled-over planters .

Ryan was a passenger in a car driven by an 18-year-old drunk driver . That driver is in prison for manslaughter .

“ What younever want to be responsible for is killing yourfriends , ” said Chapman , who asked the students to complete a “ homework assignment . ” “ Hug yourparents tonight – I’d give anything for that , ” she said .

Heather Faulkner , 17 , walked out of the presentation teary-eyed .

“ I just felt bad – she’s a mom , ” she said . “ I know not to drink and drive – I wouldn’t want my mom to have ... ”she trailed off . “ If it affected me , it definitely affected someone else . ”

“ The purpose was to provide a graphic portrayal of a drunk-driving crash for kids to realize they are not invincible and they need to make good decisions , ” said Youth Counselor Kim McTighe . The program had been in the planning process since last fall and included members of the school’s Peer Advocates , the school’s advanced drama class , The Drug and Alcohol Prevention Council , Vernon Youth Services , school administration and Vernon’s emergency services .