In a few seconds, Donovan Tessmer’s life ended. Years of playing football, academic successes, and time with family all came to a startling stop. In 2007, the 17 year old was killed in a car accident.

On February 28, his mother Martha Tessmer and Leanne Clegg, the mother of Hunter, another boy who passed away in a car accident, spoke to Upper School students as part of the Impact Teen Driving program. The assembly started with the two mothers asking students, “what do you consider lethal?”

While responses varied from guns to poison, distractions due to driving were overlooked. The Impact Teen Driving program aims to help adolescents understand the dangers of distracted driving, specifically texting while driving. Car accidents are the number one cause of death in teenagers, according to the speakers. In a few brief videos, friends and family members shared the stories of the two boys who were killed: Donovan “Dono” Tessmer and Hunter Clegg.

Tessmer’s son was killed when his girlfriend jokingly jerked the steering wheel from side to side, causing her to run into a tree.

As his mother recounted her story, she mentioned momentary decisions can change the lives of many people. Though Donovan passed away five years ago and Hunter passed away three years ago, both mothers said that they think about their sons everyday.

“You have a bracelet or cleats to remember him by and that’s not fair,” Tessmer said.

Clegg talked about her son Hunter who was killed just before entering high school. He had been driving with a 17 year old who had a provisional license for only two months and had tried “drifting” around a corner.

Hunter was killed immediately after the car crashed into a tree while the other passengers and the driver walked away without major injuries. Clegg pointed out that being a safe passenger is just as important as being a cautious driver.

“[Hunter] was a good kid,” Clegg said. “We had never discussed how to be a good passenger with him.”

Students felt that the assembly was emotional yet thought provoking, and many were touched by the raw emotion that each woman brought to stage.

“I was crying for a good portion of it,” Aarti Kheskani (9) said. “I will never ever text and drive.”

Similarly, Erik Anderson (12) thought the assembly was effective because of the emotions the speakers elicited.

“It means more when you hear it from people who were affected the most by these problems [such as] the surviving family,” he said.

However, Eric Swenson (12) thought that while the topic was important, the assembly brought in too many distracting factors by attempting to add comedy or putting together videos.

“The topic itself adds all the drama needed,” he said. “Any other drama just detracts from the importance of the topic.”

The assembly was organized by the Living with Intent Focus and Enthusiasm (L.I.F.E.) board. The timing was in conjunction with the passing out of wristband to remind students to be aware of their surroundings.