by Anna Leach, photo by Grace Hodes

Sophomore Emily Coble wasn’t completely surprised when she was “killed” on Grim Reaper day, having been told a few months before “kind of jokingly,” according to Coble, she would be picked to be a “victim.”

Grim Reaper Day is an event run by Students Against Drinking and Driving (SADD) chapters across the nation. At STA, students are chosen throughout the day to represent individuals who have died as a result of drunk driving; the “dead” must wear a sign around their neck all day, explaining their person’s story, and are not allowed to speak until the end of the day. After the last bell, all of the “dead” walk onto the quad and lay, or stand depending upon the weather, behind crosses which mark their graves. Grim Reaper Day always occurs the Thursday before prom and junior ring dance.

“It’s just a way for SADD to reach the whole school in a really public way,” SADD club member Kylie O’Toole said. “We do it around prom and junior ring because it’s a time when people are faced with a lot of choices regarding drinking and driving.”

The signs the students wear are actually the same every year, according to O’Toole. The students, however, are always new and not picked randomly.

“We pick students that we think will take the day seriously, and not make a joke about it,” O’Toole said.

While Coble said she remembers trying to get previous participants to crack, this year she found keeping quiet wasn’t the easiest of jobs.

“When I wasn’t really thinking about it, I’d almost blurt something out,” Coble said. “It was challenging for me [because] we had an activity in spanish where half the group were owners of storefronts and half were the buyers. I had to wildly gesture.”

As hard as it can be, the challenge of not talking all day is purposeful.

“The reason students don’t talk throughout the day is so their friends can experience what life would be like without them,” O’Toole said.

Despite the light hearted teasing that occurs, Coble believes the event does have an impact on the entire STA community, underclassmen included, and the publicness of the day makes an impact.

“I remember explaining [the concept] to the freshman and seeing their faces,” Coble said.  “It’s definitely something that will stick in their minds.”

O’Toole also believes the day is good at catching the eye of students.

“Especially with all the tragedies our community has faced this year, this event can put it all into perspective,” O’Toole said.