| Devon McDonald, former football star with Notre Dame and professional NFL player with the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals spoke at Wilson on April 13th.
• National Championship, Notre Dame, 1988.
• Team captain, Notre Dame, 1992.
• All-American honorable mention, 1992.
• MVP of the Cotton Bowl, 1993.
• Colts Special Team Player of the Year, 1994
He is a member of Sports World Inc. who's goal is to send Professional Athletes to share personal life experiences with students, helping them to recognize the consequences of their choices while challenging them with the message of hope. He is pictured here with representatives of WCTC who sponsered Devon's visit
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| May 2010 - Wilson CTC board member Robert Bernstel receives the Caron Foundation's "Unsung Hero" Award for his contributions to WCTC
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Mock trial at Wilson High School brings drunken driving home for students
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Prom, graduation season approaching
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By Erin Negley
Reading Eagle
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Sitting on stage portraying a teen accused of DUI and homicide by vehicle was a scary experience for Wilson High School junior Anna E. Martin.
After a mock trial about a made-up crash, the audience convicted her of both crimes, and Sinking Spring Police Chief James Oxenreider handcuffed her and took her away.
It was an uncomfortable feeling, but Martin said the mock trial about underage drinking is the type of assembly schools should have so all students can participate.
"Not a lot of people showed up," Martin said of the event Thursday at Wilson High School. "I think kids need to hear about this kind of thing. It happens all the time."
The mock trial dealt with a high school keg party that ended with a deadly crash.
Berks County Judge Thomas G. Parisi presided over the trial, and defense attorney Daniel Nevins of Reading and Assistant Berks County District Attorney Catherine Nadirov argued their sides of the case. About 50 parents and others in the audience acted as jurors.
Wilson Communities That Care, a nonprofit that encourages positive family relationships, hosted the event to raise awareness about the dangers of underage drinking, especially with proms and graduations coming up. Berks County Prevention Coalition, a substance abuse prevention group, helped organize the trial.
Martin portrayed Nora Guidry, a teen charged in the death of her best friend, Melissa Donald, after the two left a party. Guidry, who had only a drink or two, went through a stop sign and crashed the car.
Police Spring Township Sgt. Barry Marchut, who played the investigating officer, passed out photos of a real crash with two twisted vehicles.
In Guidry's defense, Nevins reminded the jury that the accused was the night's designated driver, and she was driving a friend who was drunk.
"She was just doing what she thought was right - taking her intoxicated friend home," he said. "What she didn't intend that night was to cause an accident."
Nadirov, the prosecutor, told the jury that Guidry's blood-alcohol content was 0.039 percent and Donald's was 0.223 percent. The legal limit for drivers under 21 is 0.02 percent.
In a straw poll, the audience found Guidry guilty of both charges. A few people voted for a "not guilty" verdict.
Bill Chadwick, whose son, Wilson freshman Kristopher Savell, portrayed a partygoer, voted "guilty" but struggled with the decision.
"The gut feeling was that she was doing the right thing," Chadwick said. "But if you follow the letter of the law, she wasn't."
Contact Erin Negley: 610-371-5047 or enegley@readingeagle.com.
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WILSON CTC RECEIVES SUPPORT FROM SPRING TOWNSHIP
Spring Township Police Department, a long time supporter of Wilson Communities That Care donated over $1,100 at the township meeting on September 28th to Wilson CTC. Debbie Burridge, Wilson CTC secretary and Bob Bernstel of National Penn Bank, Wilson CTC treasurer accepted the check from officer Barry Marchut. Funds came from The Spring Township Police annual National Night Out, a very successful community event held each August by the township police department.
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