Springville High Counselor Diana New, right, sorts commitments cards filled out by students during the Under Age, Under Arrest program at the school in January.

Around the close of 2014, Springville experienced a tragedy, and some believe if nothing is done another might not be far away.

According to Alabama State Troopers, Springville High School sophomore Hunter Sligh died Dec. 19 after falling off a truck driven by another teenager. The investigation, Springville High School Counselor Diana New said, is ongoing, but the problem at hand consumed her through the holidays.

“There’s not a lot we really know, but we do know alcohol was involved. This student wasn’t drinking, but some there were,” she said. “It really hurt me, and I spent my entire Christmas break trying to find something that could be done to get the students’ attention.”

New soon found Eddie Lard with Birmingham-based business Direct Communications. Lard is currently assisting The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC) with its statewide campaign, “Under Age, Under Arrest,” which seeks to discourage underage and binge drinking. New thought the program would be perfect for students at Springville High School, and on Jan 30, Under Age, Under Arrest brought its message to SHS.

The program included a moving presentation from area mother Tisha Pate, who lost her daughter to a drunk driver last year. Pate’s story brought students in the audience to tears.

“You’re not guaranteed to wake up tomorrow. Nobody is,” Pate said. “But nobody should have to go through what I’m going through now.”

Pate was one of several speakers at the event who focused on highlighting the dangers of irresponsible drinking — a message New and other members of the SHS faculty think is vital to the health of their students. New said she often overhears students brag about their weekend activities, and she said some don’t shy away from openly describing their alcohol abuse while in school.

“There’s not a lot for kids to do around here, and the thing to do on the weekends is have bonfires,” she said. “It’s nothing for them to come to school on Monday and talk about how drunk they got on the weekend. It’s frustrating.”

Springville Chief of Police Bill Lyle couldn’t confirm that this was the case, saying that he didn’t know of any gatherings by that description inside city limits. However, he said if students were holding bonfires it would likely be in remote areas of the county, and it would be unlikely for anyone to catch them without prior notice.

Both New and SHS Principal Virgil Winslett said the goal of hosting Under Age, Under Arrest at the school was to make contact with students. If it happened that only one was paying attention, it might mean another life spared in the community.

“I hope one or two take what was said to heart, and if they get behind wheel after a drink they’ll say, ‘Nah,’ and get out of the car or pick up the phone and say, ‘Momma, come get me,’” Winslett said after the presentation. “Seriously, I hope they do anything to try and stop it.”

For New, the event also meant the first step to fulfilling a promise made at Hunter Sligh’s funeral.

“I told his mom that his death would not be in vain. It wouldn’t be for nothing,” she said. “The kids who were involved that night were in here today. They heard. If they were listening, that’s a different story.”

“The kids who were involved that night were in here today. They heard. If they were listening, that’s a different story.”