Castleton students face big choices

Students at Oceanside High School Castleton listened intently on Nov. 17 as Maureen McCormick, an assistant Nassau County district attorney, discussed the challenges and choices that await them as they get older. The theme of the hour-and-a-half-long program, which was led by McCormick and other experts, was the importance of making safe and smart decisions, particularly when it comes to drugs and alcohol.

McCormick gave students an overview of some of the more dramatic court cases that have resulted from DWI-related crimes. One of them was the prosecution of Martin Heidgen, who, late on a July night in 2005, was driving drunk, headed north in the southbound lanes of the Meadowbrook Parkway, when he slammed head-on into a limousine, killing the driver and 7-year-old Katie Flynn of Long Beach. Heidgen was convicted of vehicular homicide in 2006, and is currently serving a prison sentence of 18 years to life.

McCormick made it clear to Castleton students that every drug — not just alcohol — can impair normal functioning and thinking. “All affect your head and your judgment,” she told them. She showed them photos of numerous illegal drugs, and explained the varieties of alcohol, the most widely used drug: A 12-ounce glass of beer, McCormick noted, is the intoxicating equivalent of 5 ounces of wine and 1½ ounces of vodka.

“You endanger others and yourself when you get into a car drunk,” McCormick told the students. “And there’s no social drinking anymore, either. Kids just drink to get drunk.”

To highlight the effects of alcohol, McCormick invited Nassau County police officer Gus Kalin to demonstrate eye checks, line tests and breathalyzer tests that can result from a routine vehicle inspection. Afterward, the officer told the story of his brother, a convicted drunk driver who is currently serving a one-to-four-year prison sentence at the Mohawk Correctional Facility in upstate New York. “He crashed into a parked car when he was drunk,” Kalin said. “There are many ways to make bad choices, or get killed or destroy families, so be smart.”

The story of Kalin’s brother was an appropriate segue into the final portion of the program, when Shawn Gallivan of Point Lookout spoke to students about his poor choices. Last year, Gallivan was driving drunk when he struck and killed a 53-year-old man in Long Beach. The 23-year-old described the whole ordeal and the consequences he has faced since then as “unimaginable.” He eventually pleaded guilty to drunken driving and vehicular manslaughter earlier this year, and will serve a three-to-nine-year prison sentence.

As he recalled the incident in front of the students, Gallivan grew emotional, but offered them some advice. “I’ve had much time to think,” he said. “And I hope my story allows everyone to make better decisions.”