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PAPS To Reward Student Helmet-Wearers

A recent head injury to a Phillips Academy student has prompted a stronger enforcement of the use of personal protection equipment when riding bicycles or skateboards. Aram Shrestinian ’11 was riding his skateboard down School Street on Tuesday, May 13, when he suddenly felt himself losing control of the board. According to Shrestinian, he was traveling without a helmet down the hill at around 30 miles per hour and was unable to regain control of his skateboard. “I can’t really remember much of what happened,” Shrestinian said of the incident, “but someone told me that I fell and hit my head hard on the curb.” The Junior was immediately knocked unconscious upon impact. Luckily, Teruyo Shimazu, Instructor in Japanese, happened to be driving near the scene of the accident and called 911. Shrestinian was rushed to Lawrence General Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a grade three concussion. He was later transferred to Children’s Hospital in Boston where he spent the night. “I just kept thinking that wearing a helmet would have made it much easier for him,” Shimazu said. “I have seen many kids skateboarding around campus, going rather fast, of course without a helmet.” Had he been wearing a helmet, Shrestinian’s injury would have been greatly reduced. His choice to skateboard without a helmet also resulted in his missing classes on the following Wednesday. Shrestinian was also required to refrain from strenuous physical activity. Though he fortunately retains no permanent head damage, his injury was still enough of a scare to bring the issue of protective head gear to the table of discussion among the cluster deans and Phillips Academy Public Safety (PAPS) officers. Prompted by Shrestinian’s recent injury, PAPS plans to change its approach to encouraging safe riding. Instead of chastising students for not wearing helmets, PAPS will reward students who do wear them. According to Tom Conlon, Manager of the Public Safety Department, PAPS will begin handing out Ryley Roller gift certificates to anyone who is seen wearing their helmet while skateboarding or biking. Massachusetts State Law states that a child 16 years or younger must wear a helmet while riding a bicycle, skateboard, scooter, or rollerblades. Phillips Academy requires all students, regardless of age, to always wear a helmet. Neither the Phillips Academy rule nor the state law has ever been well-enforced. According to Conlon, the law is not even enforced by the local Andover police due to the difficulty of distinguishing between different ages. “We haven’t been very good about enforcing the helmet rule,” admitted Aya Murata, Pine Knoll Cluster Dean. “I think this is partly because people don’t want to be hypocritical. It’s hard to have a teacher telling a student to wear a helmet, when they themselves don’t always wear their helmet.” According to Conlon, no student at Phillips Academy has ever experienced a serious injury from not wearing a helmet. But in light of recent events, the deans have decided to act rather than to wait for an even more serious injury to occur, though an official plan has yet to be made to ensure the safety of all students. “This isn’t just from a desire to be annoying. We’re just trying to help kids realize how serious a brain injury can be,” Murata said.