Saint Saviour student essays inspired by drinking-and-driving video

June 19, 2012 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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By Mary Frost

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

A shocking-but-true video about the death of a high school student run down by a drunk fellow-student inspired students at Park Slope’s Saint Saviour High School to think long and hard about drinking and driving, and produce essays on the subject.

Each year, Saint Saviour chooses a current-events topic and airs a video about that topic to the entire student body. After watching the film, students write an essay based on their reaction to the video. The two best essays earn an award from the Duffy Funeral Home, which has been sponsoring this essay contest since 1995.

This year’s video, “Loaded Weapon: A Story About Drinking and Driving,” is based on the true story of high schooler Alexandra Vincent, who was killed at the age of 17 by a young man who left a party drunk and plowed into the back of her car. Alexandra died at the scene in her mother’s arms.

Faculty members reviewed the essays submitted by over 200 Saviourites and chose heartfelt essays by junior Olivia Boisrand and freshman Olivia Calamia to be this year’s winners.

Joseph Amato of Duffy Funeral Home presented the young women with their awards on June 11 at Saint Saviour.