On March 23, the sophomore class attended an assembly titled, “Steered Straight.” The assembly was used to teach students the reality of life choices, and how important it is to think about potential consequences before making decisions. This message was broadcasted to the sophomores through powerful guest speakers who used their negative life experiences to show students where bad decisions can lead you in life.

The first of two speakers was a girl named Crystal Vallee. Vallee opened up to the sophomore class, telling them her inner struggles while growing up with divorced parents and an alcoholic father who was not present in her life. Although she used her 16-year-old best friend as her support system when dealing with family problems, she was then left alone in the world once her friend was murdered by an abusive boyfriend.

After the death of her best friend, Vallee explained to the sophomores that she was like a chameleon as she tried to fit in with each crowd that she hung out with, which ultimately resulted in her experimenting with drugs and alcohol. Although she began doing drugs, Vallee still managed to graduate high school and enroll at a college in Florida in order to fulfill her dream of becoming a marine biologist.

During her college years, Vallee met a boy, and they ended up getting engaged. Although her life seemed to be going great at the time, Vallee’s mental health began to decline; as she became more closed off, she did not recognize her fiance’s own struggles that eventually resulted in him killing himself.

Her story came to a climax when, under the influence of drugs, she got into a car accident, killing a man. This resulted in her being sentenced to five years in prison. The moral of Vallee’s story was to avoid hurting yourself when you are already hurting, and to find other outlets for your pain.

After Vallee talked to the sophomore class, Michael DeLeon then took over. DeLeon talked about how his successful career in an upcoming company was ruined as his friend got him to try cocaine. DeLeon’s decision to use cocaine resulted in an eventual addiction, which ultimately lead to him losing his job, and having to move himself and his family out of their home.

After moving, DeLeon became involved with a gang in order to acquire drugs. As a direct result of his gang violence, his mother died; when gang members came to look for him, his mother was the only one at home, resulting in her being murdered instead of him. To make things worse, DeLeon was accused and convicted of the murder which he didn’t commit; because they were unable to prove someone else as the killer, he had to serve five years in prison.

Once he got out of jail, DeLeon quickly relapsed, becoming involved with drugs and gang violence once again. This then led to another gang-related murder, this time due to a drug debt. The murder led to DeLeon going back to prison, this time serving for seven years. The moral of DeLeon’s story was to show that one wrong decision can negatively change the course of someone’s entire life.

Overall, the assembly was a hit with the sophomores. When asked about the assembly, sophomore Jordan Mcchesney said, “What I liked about “Steered Straight” is that it included genuine speakers with real stories that we were able to connect and relate to in some ways.” To remember their messages and stories, DeLeon gave a green wristband to each student that reads, “Stay In Your Lane” to remind them of what the consequences of bad choices can lead to.