Yellowknife (Oct 08/04) - Grade 9 students from Sir John Franklin and St. Patrick high schools witnessed the potential results of high risk behaviour last week while taking part in the Preventing Alcohol and Risk Related Trauma in Youth (PARTY) program.

Three separate seminars took place between Sept. 29 and Oct. 1 to encourage students to recognize risk and think twice before participating in high-risk behaviour.

"The seminar is in-your-face, reality-based education," said Teresa Peters, organizer of the PARTY program in Yellowknife.

"Nothing was held back. It was a bit of a gruesome day."

Along with presentations from the RCMP, Yellowknife Correctional Centre, doctors, nurses and rehabilitation professionals, NWT Chief Coroner Percy Kinney gave a demonstration to the students.

"I showed them real scenes of real death," he said.

"I tell them straight up: if you want to engage in high-risk behaviour, here's what could happen."

Students reacted to his slide show with mixed emotions -- shock, disgust, sadness and self-reflection.

"I thought I knew about drinking and driving but when I saw the pictures and heard about real life experiences, it really hit me," said Hailey Grayston, a student at Sir John.

"The coroner's presentation was graphic, so it was weird to see the pictures and hard to take it at first."

"The statistics were scary, so I'm definitely going to remember what not to do," said Nicole Bonnell.

Another student was surprised at the presentation's graphic elements

Students were invited to touch a grizzly bear brain -- similar to a human brain -- to feel how soft the tissue is and how easily it could be damaged.

"It really made you think, especially the coroner's presentation, and made you realize what could happen," said Robbie Hiembach.

But the coroner made no apologies.

"I just show them the consequences and what occurs after a fatal event," Kinney said.

"They have to go and make their own decisions."