LAKEPORT >> It has to be one of the most bittersweet scenes to witness, a crowd of students on the athletic field recalling the laughter many just shared, which to some it was … what, only yesterday and that mention of his name set off a giggling jag no one wanted to end because of the company they all kept.
The gray-haired man addressing the students Wednesday, is Rick Mather, long time employee who works many staff positions but now is the secretary of MOT Maintenance, Operations and Transportation of Clear Lake High Schol. As Rick began to speak, a spark lit up the crowd. “Ralphie is known as a kind man who always brought a smile to anyone he comes into contact with,” Mather said. “His infectious smile is always telling jokes, creating a chain of laughter and silliness.”
The Ralphie, who Mather speaks of is Ralphie Blancas Jr., 18 a superb athlete, who competes in football, wrestling and even baseball. “Ralphie, an amazing athlete devoting much time to many sports but frequently telling jokes creating a chain of silliness … But Ralphie was a passenger driven by an intoxicated driver,” Mather revealed. “Ralphie is survived by his dad, Ralphie Sr., his uncle Ed and grandpa- and he will be greatly missed and loved and deeply felt by many and all who have come to know him in this moment.”
Landen Noisat, 18, another Clear Lake High School senior was also a passenger in the mini-SUV that collided with the compact pick-up on Hartley Street near the corner of Boggs. He sat in the back seat and sustained an injury yet survived the impact. “”I was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, and they treated my wounds and all that,” Landen said. “I hope people see, especially our friends, and understand it’s a serious thing, and they should not make stupid decisions like that. I think this is something I’ll remember forever and share with everybody, and it’s been a good lesson.”
Yet Noiset maintains he is glad he did this, and the reason is, because this was an Every 15 Minutes staging of a mock crash scene. Every 15 Minutes is a two-day program focusing on high school juniors and seniors, challenging them to think about drinking, driving, public safety, the need to make rational decisions and the impact their decisions have on family, friends, community, and others. It gathers together a coalition of interested local agencies with the aim of reducing alcohol-related incidents among young people. The partnering of the California Highway Patrol, local law enforcement, local hospitals, emergency medical responders, schools, businesses, and service clubs illustrates the need of working cooperatively to ensure a healthy community.
Ralphie Blancas Jr. called the mock-crash scene cool. “It teaches people not to drink and drive. That’s the best part about it, because drinking and driving is just not a good thing to do” he said. One day this semester he was called into the office of Liesl Hendrix, principal. “She asked me if I could do the dead body for 15 minutes, and I said yes, I could do this.”
Also helping to steer the project was Danielle Costa, assistant principal. The Every15 Minutes program draws its name from the interval calculated between alcohol related crashes in the U.S. noted Costa, The last time the program was staged here was 2017. But they are expected to repeat the procedure every four years, in order to have every student a chance to experience the crash scene before graduating. “I think COVID threw a wrench in the process, which is why it was such a long gap before it was revived again. The CHP is the agency running the mock up and are also the ones providing the grant, which can be as much as $10,000 in prior times,” said Costa.
“I just really wanted this to be a learning experience for students,” she continued. “I want them to be able to carry this experience through their entire lives. If they are drinking they need to make responsible choices.” Lake County High School formed a partnership with the Lakeport Police Department, Lakeport Fire Department, Lakeport CHP, City of Clearlake, North Shore Fire, Konocti Vista Casino and Chapel of the Lake. The high school has another exercise on the second day where a student is pulled out of class every 15 minutes to demonstrate that another person died, as well as holding a recognition for those lost to the fatal crashes.
Blake Bartlett is a CHP officer who works out of his office in Kelseyville, He also attended the Kelseyville staging a month ago, where he was the arresting officer. “Today I did the death notification at the hospital with the families. Hopefully (this exercise) brings in all the realism – and they do a really good job with the makeup. And the scene with the helicopter landing (air ambulance) makes it seem surreal.”
Bartlett also praised the Hartley Street scene for its authenticity. “But again, we remind everybody this was a DUI crash” he said. “But even being completely sober but driving erratically or using a cell phone, can result in the same.”
