COFFEE COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) - Coffee Middle School students got a real-life look on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at how quickly their choices can change their future. From mock crashes to classroom lessons, Teen Maze walked students through the realities and consequences of everyday decisions.

Teen Maze is a walkthrough experience that exposes students to real-life scenarios like parties, drug use, sneaking out, peer pressure, jail and teen pregnancy. The Coffee County School System says it is vital to warn students about these risks early, adding that it is their responsibility to prepare and protect students as they grow.

This year’s event ran from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with multiple local businesses and community partners helping show how one decision can lead to life-changing outcomes.

The maze opened with a skit showing a party scene where bad decisions quickly escalated into fatalities. Student ambassador Nicole Lloyd said peer pressure remains one of the biggest challenges kids her age face.

“People do a lot of things they shouldn’t be doing, and they know better, but it’s like they want to fit in to feel cool or they just don’t have any guidance or anyone to tell them what to do,” Lloyd said.

The skit also showed students drinking and using drugs before getting behind the wheel, demonstrating how fast a risky choice can turn dangerous.

One of the stations featured a mock crash. It was designed to show students that their decisions do not just affect them but also the people around them.

Students said many of these choices often start at home.

“Multiple kids my age are very uneducated about things like this, and they don’t know the consequences of the things they do,” Lloyd said. “I feel like it starts at home. Their parents don’t educate them, or their parents won’t take out the time, or their parents weren’t educated on what to tell them. I feel like events like this are helpful.”

After the crash scene, students moved into classrooms where businesses and organizations taught them strategies to avoid harmful habits before they begin.

One of the partners was F.L.Y. Fitness owner Dionne Ingram.

“To be here for the kids and to let them know to first love themselves, and to teach them to de-stress through exercises,” Ingram said.

She added that in a world with many pressures, guiding kids to love themselves can help them navigate challenges throughout life.

Youth support specialist Jayden Myers also worked with students, offering lessons rooted in lived experience.

“That is my job through lived experience. I’ve done that, I’ve been there. There is nothing you can tell me that I haven’t done or fallen from,” Myers said. “It is about giving them a safe space to experience these things, go through them and most importantly, cope with them in a healthy way.”

Organizers said Teen Maze is one more way to help students understand that every decision has a consequence, and that thinking ahead can save them from life-changing mistakes.

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