By Roger Nomer

rnomer@joplinglobe.com

PINEVILLE, Mo. — In a presentation featuring the Jaws of Life carving up a compact car, and teachers stumbling about while wearing goggles that simulated intoxication, McDonald County High School DECA students had a simple message.

“Just Don’t Drink” is the slogan members of the Distributive Education Clubs of America repeated Wednesday afternoon to more than 140 fifth- through eighth-graders at Pineville Elementary School.

And it was this simple message that seemed to stick with the students the most, because it was delivered by teens just a few years older than themselves.

“I know some of those girls through friends,” said Alex Smith, a Pineville eighth-grader. “Hearing the message from them definitely helped out a lot. They learned from their mistakes, and maybe I shouldn’t make the same mistake.”

High school seniors Dakota Fuller and Felicia Russell led the presentation as part of a public relations project for DECA.

Backed by slides of drunken and sick-looking celebrities, the seniors spoke honestly about drinking.

“What’s fun about watching your friends get sick and throw up?” Fuller asked the students. “How many of you like throwing up? Raise your hands.”

A few smart alecks raised their hands, and giggles echoed through the gymnasium. But the students were silent for the next confession.

“Do you want to know our opinion?” Fuller continued. “We have both been drunk before, and we think it’s stupid. We want to go to college. We want to be a success in life. And by drinking, you ruin all of that.”

This message, that they themselves had tried alcohol and not liked it, was the heart of the DECA students’ “Just Don’t Drink” presentation. The seniors thought that firsthand testimony would be the best way to reach the younger students.

“We’re just being honest,” Fuller said. “It’s so that they wouldn’t think we’re preaching at them. Hopefully they see our side, and realize that we’ve done it and thought it was stupid. Maybe then they can make the right choice.”

For students like fifth-grader Jared Phillips, that message came across loud and clear. On his way to the Jaws of Life demonstration, he explained what he would take away from the presentation.

“Why do teens drink?” Jared asked. “That’s something wrong to do. You can get hurt, like run into a telephone pole.”