Robbie and Jeri Walston's sobs filled the sanctuary at Northwood Temple Academy.

Staff photo by Brian Thorpe The Grim Reaper, ALE Agent Glen Webb, looks over a mock accident Tuesday at Northwood Temple Academy. The N.C. Division of Alcohol Law Enforcement presented the ’Keys to Life’ program which educates students on the consequences of alcohol abuse.

"Tell him he's wrong," Jeri shouted to her husband as a state trooper leaned over and said that their son, Matthew, had been killed in a car accident.

The trooper stood up and told students that their classmate, a junior, was killed by a drunken driver near their school on Ramsey Street. Matthew played basketball and was an excellent student. He planned to attend N.C. State University and pursue a career in engineering.

Matthew Walston was not killed in a car accident. But the role-playing was realistic enough that Principal Renee McLamb wiped tears from her eyes. Some students sniffled.

Students and teachers at Northwood Temple Academy got an idea Tuesday of what it is like to lose loved ones in an alcohol-related accident.

It was part of the "Keys to Life" program sponsored by the N.C. Division of Alcohol Law Enforcement and the Governor's Highway Safety Program. The program emphasizes the risks of alcohol consumption and drinking and driving.

First Lady Mary Easley, a former prosecutor, told students that drinking alcohol has long-term physical and mental effects, especially when consumption begins at an early age.

"You're in control of your own life," Easley said. "You can make a decision and say, 'I ain't doing that.'"

Every 15 minutes, someone in the United States is seriously injured or killed in an alcohol-related accident, said Tony Mills, an ALE officer.

Mills peppered the audience with statistics. Every 15 minutes, his presentation was interrupted with the sound of a car crash and then the loud beating of a heart. Someone dressed as the Grim Reaper entered the room and gave Mills a name. The person left the room with the Grim Reaper, and Mills covered his or her chair with a white sheet.

Staff photo by Brian Thorpe Northwood Temple Academy students look over a mock accident outside their school.

Moments later, an officer recited an accident report and an obituary.

By the end of the 45-minute presentation, the school had lost Matthew, a senior named Julie Price and John Wright, the school's band and music director. The three victims re-entered the sanctuary with gray paint on their faces and black T-shirts to symbolize their deaths.

But the victim count hadn't stopped yet. A 911 call was broadcast over the public address system. An accident had just happened outside the school. The audience heard sirens coming from the parking lot.

Outside, local emergency workers conducted field sobriety tests on one of the drivers. Two students lay on the ground with fake blood on them. The crash was simulated, but students kept their eyes glued to the scene as workers cut open the car to "rescue" two students. The Grim Reaper hovered nearby.

Some students said using their classmates in the skits showed them that drunken driving can hit close to home.

"It's been a real eye-opener," said senior Samantha Gibson. "You don't believe anything like this can happen to you. I'll drive very carefully. I'll never drink."

Staff writer Jessica Banov can be reached at banovj@fayettevillenc.com or 486-3562.