CASSTOWN — To kick-off Prom Safety Week at Miami East High School, Deputy Wes Kilby, school resource officer (SRO) organized a game of Nintendo’s Mario Kart with vision impairment goggles during lunch periods on Monday, April 10.

The SROs from the Miami County Sheriff’s Office posted at Miami East have participated in Prom Safety Week before, but this is the first time the SRO set up a game of Mario Kart with both alcohol and drug vision impairment goggles. The game was set up to show students just how dangerous driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol can be.

“When planning Safety Week, I wanted to incorporate the Alcohol and Drug Impairment Goggles to give students a visual representation of how substances affect the body,” said Kilby. “My goal is to promote safe and responsible driving as we approach prom. I felt that playing Mario Kart with the goggles would present a fun yet realistic representation of how dangerous driving while impaired is not only to themselves but the public as well.”

Kilby had help from three juniors in the Criminal Justice class he assists in at the high school. Zachary Smith, Billy Moore and Koltin Voisinet all helped Kilby set up the Nintendo Switch for the impaired Mario Kart games.

Miami East High School prom is on Saturday, April 15, and throughout the week leading up to the prom the school is hosting various events to stress the importance of safety before and after prom. On Monday, April 10, and Tuesday, April 11, the students play impaired Mario Kart during lunch; on Wednesday, April 12, the Ohio State Highway Patrol are setting up booths to share the importance of not driving drunk; on Thursday, April 13, Allstate is going to do an “X-To-Text” lunchtime presentation reminding students not to text and drive; and on Friday, April 14, Miami East High School is bringing in Carl Kraley for a special presentation called Shattered Dreams to share with juniors and seniors his personal experience with the consequences of drunk driving.