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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us June 9, 2006 AHS grads to party safely Underage DUII stats are down in Ashland By Alan Panebaker Ashland Daily Tidings After Ashland High graduates toss their caps this evening, parties will be the next on the agenda. Many of the students plan to celebrate the tradition of the Senior All Night party as a sober option tonight. The drug and alcohol-free party offers a fun way to keep graduates safe. Party organizer and parent Liza Eatinger said her goal is to get every one of the nearly 300 graduating seniors to come to the party. It will be held on the Southern Oregon University campus from 10 p.m. tonight until 6 a.m. Saturday. “We do it because it’s a big day to celebrate for the kids,” Eatinger said. Jessica Walters, a graduating senior at Ashland High School, said attending the all-night party is the standard thing to do. “I think every one of my senior friends is going,” she said. “People from every group at the high school will be there.” The all-night sober graduation party has been going on at least since 1983 and has always been a parent-organized event. “They just do a phenomenal job,” Ashland High assistant principal Don Valentini said of the volunteers who put on the party. “They just want to make sure everyone goes.” Organizers will help any student who cannot afford the $20 door charge, he added. At this year’s graduation and after-party, many of those present will be remembering 18-year-old Leah Castillo, who was killed in a head-on collision on her way to last year’s senior all-night party. The driver of the car that hit Castillo was trying to evade police and swerved into her lane. Jonathan Guevarra, the car’s driver, later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and driving under the influence of intoxicants. “I think it’s become a big concern,” student Jessica Walters said. “I think it just brought it home for all of us.” According to 2004 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data, 46 percent of traffic fatalities among 15-to 20-year-olds during April and May were alcohol-related. Of these, 72 percent involved a 15- to 20-year-old driver with alcohol in his or her system. In Oregon, 44 percent of the state’s 456 traffic fatalities during 2004 were alcohol related. Ashland Police Department statistics show that DUII arrests for people under 21 have dropped in recent years, from 53 in 2003 to 23 in 2005. The department recorded two DUII accidents involving drivers under the age of 21 that resulted in injuries last year. Ashland Police Sgt. Malcus Williams said the department would have officers at the graduation ceremony tonight at 7 p.m. in Lithia Park and would increase the police presence on the road tonight. “Basically what we do is stop people for all infractions,” Williams said. “Then we assess the situation and see if intoxicants are involved.” Staff writer Alan Panebaker can be reached at 482-3456 x 227 or [email protected]. . DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams