Teaching teens to take smart risks

Tori Sutton
Staff Reporter
When Melissa Hague was 12 years old, a drunk driver caused a car crash that killed her mother and left her paralyzed from the waist down.

Now, 25 years later, she’s using her life experiences to help educate students about the dangers of risky behaviour.

Hague was the featured speaker at a series of SMARTRISK Heroes assemblies at Northwestern Secondary School on Monday, sharing her message with 2,000 students in grades 7 to 12.

And she hoped every single student would walk away with her, and the presentation’s main message – life is about taking risks, but take smart risks so you can continue to enjoy your life the way you do today.

“The more information we can give kids, the better choices they are going to make,” Hague told local media before the start of her second presentation of the morning. “Go live your lives, have fun and take it all in, but be really smart about it.”

In her emotional and often frank presentation, Hague shared the story of the car crash that claimed her mother’s life, her painful recovery and her life today.

Students asked several questions of her, curious about a myriad of topics, from how she drives a car to if she can have children.

The presentation focuses on five main messages – buckle up, look first, wear the gear, get trained and drive sober. It encourages teens to draw their “stupid line” which separates a smart risk from a stupid one.

The SMARTRISK program also stresses there are few actual accidents, which they define as “an unavoidable act of fate.” Instead, they want kids to call it like it really is, using words and phrases like car crashes, falls, poisonings, drownings and collisions.

The presentation had a big impact on some students, who lingered in the gym after the presentation, some being comforted by friends and others who wanted to ask more questions.

“It put a lot into perspective,” said Nicole Bonsma, 16, a Grade 12 student at St. Mike’s. “People are aware that these things happen but when you see the videos and you see people this happened to, it’s really eye-opening.”

Bonsma said the story that hit her the hardest was that of Michelle Stilwell, who was left quadriplegic at age 17 after she fell off a friend’s back while getting a piggyback ride down the stairs.

“I couldn’t believe that she was paralyzed by something that seems so innocent,” she said.
Ian Smith, a 17-year-old Grade 12 student from St. Mike’s, said the story of the teen who was struck by a train while crossing a bridge, losing his left arm and leg, hit home considering he lives close to tracks and has done the same thing.

He said he has friends that partake in some of the risky behaviours shown in the presentation.

“I hope they were paying attention,” said Smith.

Const. Rob Viani, of the Stratford Police Service, said when he heard about the SMARTRISK program, he knew he had to bring it to Stratford. He has been working to bring it to the city for seven months.

Describing it as a presentation that makes a great impact, he said it takes a proactive approach to preventing injury. Viani, who partnered with the Perth District Health Unit on the project, said he was thankful several organizations and community groups donated funds to help cover the costs of bringing the SMARTRISK presentation to local students.

PHOTO: Melissa Hague addresses students during the SMARTRISK Heroes presentation at Northwestern Secondary School on Monday. (Tori Sutton)