Students, parents and friends gather around a stone marker and crab apple tree in the courtyard of Prairie Ridge High School. “All you need is love” is etched into the stone, a perfect tribute to Ryan Kirchoff, a student who died in a suicidal car crash three years ago. The stone and tree were placed in his honor, a gesture that seems to happen too often at high schools in Crystal Lake.
Drunk driving, suicidal driving and just everyday driving have all had fatal results for Crystal Lake teens. Due to driving under the influence, suicide and carelessness, the number of car-related deaths have not exactly been decreasing. Students say they feel like their schools are cursed, because of the one-death-per-year pattern they are following. The deaths of three teens were remembered in February, the anniversary of the accidents, and another student was mourned last week. Lessons on the consequences of drunk driving as well as untreated depression are being emphasized now more than ever, and the city is looking for ways to help prevent accidents from happening.
Bull Valley, a part of unincorporated Crystal Lake, is known for its dangerous roads. Cherry Valley Road and Red Barn Road are windy and narrow, and are where two unforgettable accidents took place. Jeffery Mills and Scott Scheckel lost their lives driving along Red Barn in February, 2006. Mills was driving Scheckel’s Acura TL between 80-100 MPH when he slammed into a tree, killing them both. The accident was a result of drunk driving. Ryan Kirchoff took his own life on Cherry Valley in April, 2005. He committed suicide by crashing his car into a tree.
Mary Mills, 18, stood by the tree her older brother crashed into. The branches are budding with spring leaves, and flowers are blooming in the soil. Although in the front yard of someone’s home, the tree is still decorated with cards, guitar picks, flowers and pictures. Even left over debris from the accident remain. Groups of people continue to gather around the tree every so often, and even those who didn’t know Mills or Scheckel will slow down as they drive by.
“I can’t blame the icy road or even God for what happened to my brother,” she said. “I can only blame him for making a horrible decision.”
Ever since the tragedy, Mills has been giving speeches at schools across McHenry county. She encourages children to stay away from drinking and driving. She uses her own experience as a core example, hoping to have an impact on their emotions and decision-making. She wants kids to understand that a night of fun isn’t worth never waking up again.
“I was only 15 years old when I lost Jeff. I’m now older than he was when he died,“ Mills said. “That’s what I want these kids to realize; is how they still have an entire life to live.”
Statistics show that drivers between the ages of 16 – 17 are 6 times more likely to be involved in a
crash than all other drivers combined. Youth between the ages of 15 – 20 comprise only 5% of the driving
population yet they are involved in 14% of all fatal crashes.
On Cherry Valley Road, Ryan Kirchoff drove his car into an oak tree. A boom box sat in front of the tree for months, playing The Beatles, Kirchoff’s favorite band. Friends say there were no signs that anything was wrong, but there were some stressful things going on at work. Kirchoff worked at a local Best Buy, and was looking at five years in prison for stealing merchandise. According to KidsHealth.org, depression affects nearly one in eight adolescents, and is the third leading cause of death for kids between 14 and 17. Stress if often the trigger.
“I wish people knew that when they kill themselves they kill everyone that loves them, too,” said Shannon Harry, 20, a friend of Kirchoff. “I also wish Ryan would have told someone he was sad, because there were a lot of people there to help him.”
The health program at district 47 and 155 schools plans to enforce “a lesson in depression” for middle school and high school students starting this upcoming fall. Parents and teachers think it’s a lesson that could help save lives.
“It’s great that the school is trying to help us,” said Amy O’Keeffe, 17, a junior at Crystal Lake Central High School. “but although I can say that I will listen, for some kids it might just go in one ear and out the other like any other class would.”
The goal is for students to be able to recognize signs of depression in themselves or somebody else, and be able to seek help. According to Internal Medicine Physician Bonnie Bremer, excess sleeping, over or under eating, and lack of motivation can all be signs of depression.
“The kids need a program like this so they can learn how to help one another,” said Emory Swinney, Dean of Prairie Ridge High School. “Because most of the time they’re not talking to adults.”
The city is trying to help, too. The speed limit on Red Barn Road was lowered a few months after the accident from 35 MPH to 25 MPH. The 45 MPH limit on Cherry Valley Road has not been changed. The speed limit has also been altered for several different roads throughout the area, including Hillside Road and parts of Walk Up Road.
In March, 2005, a group of newly licensed drivers got into a nearly fatal accident. Two cars, each carrying a group of four teenagers, collided head on, leaving three of them with minor injuries. Katie Goodman, a passenger, was lifted from her seat and thrown through the windshield. She was left with lifelong head trauma, and it was reported she was not wearing a seatbelt.
“If she would have been wearing a seatbelt she probably would have stayed in the car,” said Robert Goodman, 21, Katie’s older brother. “It’s just something people have to get in the habit of. I promise it’s not hard.”
Crystal Lake high schools introduced a program called Operation Click, a contest that has rewards for buckling seatbelts. What’s the reward? How about a new car. Operation Click is a charitable organization, and is a partnership between Crystal Lake Park District, the Crystal Lake Police Department, Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce, and High School District 155. The organization was started in 1998, and has since been urging high school aged drivers to buckle up. Since the launch of Operation Click, seatbelt usage among high school drivers in Crystal Lake has risen from 65% to 95%.
Local business owners, service clubs and individuals have donated prizes and funds to purchase prizes, that are rewarded to students seen wearing their seatbelts. The program wraps up at the end of the school year for the Grand Prize Give-A-Way. A local car dealer has donated a late model car as the grand prize, but as of 2007 the car has been brand new.
“It’s definitely the right idea,” said O’Keeffe. “but it kind of misses the boat on ‘coolness.’ Wearing your seatbelt will never be cool. We’re just going to do it now because a car is involved.”
With the help of four local businesses, Operation Click has organized a new program targeted at teenage drinking and driving. Community Alcohol Resistance for Teens and Students (C.A.R.T.S.) uses a hands on method to teach teen drivers about the consequences of drinking and driving. Students test their judgment, ability, reflexes and instinct while wearing “drunk goggles” which imitate the legal blood alcohol limit, as well as three times that limit.
C.A.R.T.S. is being integrated into District 155’s driver’s education course, as well as other school or community functions and events.
Operation Click Results 1998-2006

Chart provided by capitalfax.blogspot.com
Sources:
Mary Mills
In-Person
April 21, 2008
(815) 575-0123
Emory Swinney
Dean of Prairie Ridge High School
In-Person
April 21, 2008
Eswinney@d155.org
Robert Goodman
In-Person
May 12, 2008
(815) 404-3231
Shannon Harry
In-Person
April 19, 2008
(815) 354-3507
Shannon.Harry@loop.colum.edu
Amy O’Keeffe
Phone
May 12, 2008
(815) 455-4964
www.KidsHealth.org
www.OperationCool.org
Crystal Lake Police Department
Phone
(815) 459-2020
100 W Woodstock St
Crystal Lake, IL, 60014
http://capitalfax.blogspot.com/2007/02/way-to-reduce-teen-car-deaths.html
