A mock funeral and student video screening on Wednesday concluded a two-day program at Vintage High School intended to get teens to think twice before drinking and driving.

Inside Vintage’s packed gym, a simulated memorial service for two “deceased” Vintage students — Jesus Tijero and Jordan Price — began shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday. Both students “died” in a mock drunken driving accident on Tuesday in front of the school on Trower Avenue, a staged event complete with the bustling presence of real paramedics, Napa police and California Highway Patrol personnel.

Intended to curb risky behaviors including drunk driving, this week’s events at Vintage are part of a nationwide program called “Every 15 Minutes,” which is sponsored by law enforcement agencies. The program’s title refers to the fact that every 15 minutes in America there is a death or serious injury from a drunken driving accident.

Tuesday’s crash scene was incorporated into a poignant student video shown Wednesday that featured three teenage friends drinking heavily before driving under the influence of alcohol and suffering devastating injuries in a crash. The film concluded with Vintage student Neczar Sarouli — who was portrayed as the driver in the video — being booked at the county jail.

With all eyes pinned on a white satin-lined coffin and funeral sprays of mums and gladiolas inside Vintage’s packed gym Wednesday, Vintage student Vinnie Johnson sang his rendition of “Hallelujah” underneath the gym’s basketball scoreboard to launch the mock memorial service for Tijero and Price.

Fire Chaplain Lee Shaw officiated the simulated funeral, pointing out the dangers to students of living “for the moment.”

“Life is full of many choices. ... And there will always be consequences to our decisions — good or bad,” he told the audience.

As part of Wednesday’s ceremony, John Hill, father of Vintage student Angela Hill, publicly read a letter he was asked to write as if his daughter had passed away in a drunk driving accident.

“Today, we’ve received the worst possible news a parent (dreads). ... Now I’ve lost you and tomorrow will never come for us,” Hill said, his voice trembling with emotion.

The keynote speaker at Wednesday’s assembly was Dr. John Zimmermann, a local surgeon whose daughter, Vintage graduate Veronica Zimmermann, passed away in a car accident on Oct. 26, 2008. Although alcohol was not a factor in his daughter’s death, Zimmermann urged the students to consider the consequences of their actions before engaging in risky behaviors.

“This is the suit I wore to my daughter’s funeral. ... I haven’t worn it since. ... It brings back such horrible, horrible memories,” Zimmermann told the crowd from underneath a movie screen alight with his daughter’s senior picture.

“That was a mock accident yesterday — ours was not a mock accident,” he told the students before receiving a standing ovation from the crowd.

Tiffany Hui, a Vintage junior, said the assembly made her think about how her actions could affect her loved ones.

“I was thinking of my own parents and how they would react if that happened to me,” she said, adding that neither she nor her friends drink alcohol.

“My boyfriend has (had something to drink) before,” said Nayley Deharo, a 17-year-old senior. “I always take the keys from him and never let him drive.”

“I’m going to think about this (program) the next time one of my friends gets behind the wheel,” she said.

Arlene Carandang, a Vintage junior, echoed Deharo’s comments.

“It made me think about how life is really precious and short,” she said.

Napa Police Sgt. Debbie Peecook said the “Every 15 Minutes” program is the result of collaboration between local agencies including the Napa Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Napa County Sheriff’s Office, Napa Fire Department and other entities.

Although Peecook said Tuesday’s simulated crash scene is jarring for many students, it’s meant to encourage young people to carefully weigh the consequences of their behavior.

“You change multiple people’s worlds by making that decision of getting behind the wheel (after drinking). ... I think the program brought it home for all of the students and the adults in that room today,” she said.

Peecook said in 2008, Napa police made 319 drunk driving arrests. Only one of them was of a juvenile.

Vintage Principal Eric Schneider said this week marked the second time during his six years at Vintage that the school participated in the “Every 15 Minutes” program.

“We get some pretty incredible unsolicited comments from graduates about the program, saying ‘Hey, this is really powerful and you need to keep doing this,’” he said. “Kids have told us that they want us to run this program.”

 “I think kids live in a world where they see their friends making bad decisions and they’re making some bad decisions, but it’s hard for a teen to say to their friend, ‘Hey, don’t do that’ or ‘Give me your keys,’ or ‘Let’s call a taxi,’” he said. “Teenagers are living in that world and they see those things happening and I think they want adults to do something about it.”

For his part, Schneider credited Vintage teachers including Melanie Merkner, Kate Key, Dave Estes and Joe Schmitz with setting up the film crew, applying for the CHP grant that paid for the program and organizing the two-day affair.

Schneider added that Zimmermann’s guest appearance at Wednesday’s assembly was a considerable contribution to the program.

“He is an incredibly special person. ... Dr. Zimmermann is a real treasure to the community. (The death of a child) is something that no parent should have to live through and he’s done it with such grace and poise,” Schneider said.