EL PASO, TX -- The hundreds of students gathered in the gym of Desert View Middle School did not know Daniel Peinado, much less how he died. It is his father's goal to change that.

Albert Peinado's teenage son was killed in a car crash last summer in Virginia. Daniel was engaged in a conversation on his cell phone when he stepped out onto the street. He did not see the oncoming car, and was struck.

Since then, Mr. Peinado has realized that what happened to his son can happen to other kids. His goal to prevent that tragedy and honor his son in the process led to his pioneering a cell phone safety assembly. "Street Smarts" was held Wednesday afternoon.

"Before I tell you my story," Mr. Peinado, an English teacher at Desert View, told the hundreds of kids sitting on the gym bleachers, "I want to introduce you to my son, Daniel." A slideshow of his son, from birth to his final years as a student at Hanks, rolled as Elton John's song "Daniel" played in the background.

Many of these students had no idea what Mr. Peinado had been dealing with since last summer.

"It's good that he was able to come out and talk to us about this," said Angelica Castaneda, an eighth grader at Desert View. "It's true what he was talking about. It can happen to anyone. It's a possibility that anyone can be affected by this."

At the end of the assembly, students passed out green wristbands with Daniel's name on them, to remind them of his story and why they should not talk or text on their cell phones while walking near or across the street.

"They seem to be paying attention and it seems to be sinking in and that is what we're hoping for. That they remember," said Peinado.

"Now, when I see the wristband, it's going to be like, ok, don't do it. Just for those few seconds, don't do it," said Castaneda.

Before releasing the students, Peinado asked all of them to hold hands and repeat after him a phrase he hopes catches on: "When a car is near, keep your mind clear."

The father and teacher hopes to take his assembly to other campuses.

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