With prom season in full swing and graduation approaching, schools across the region are trying to keep students safe during this celebratory time of year.

For administrators such as Brockton High School principal Sue Szachowicz, there's nothing as nerve-racking as prom night, which she describes as both a ''wonderful event" and a ''nightmare." She says she can't relax until the following morning at 10, when she knows all of her students have returned home safely.

''I figure by about 10, I'd have been notified if something bad happened," she said. ''I so worry that even the best of kids make bad choices sometimes, and I don't want any of them being hurt."

In an effort to prevent tragedy, school and other officials across the area are reminding teens to steer clear of drugs and alcohol, and to never ride with a driver who's been drinking or on drugs. Breathalyzer tests, staged car crashes, PowerPoint presentations, cautionary tales by guest speakers, booze-free postprom bashes, behavior contracts, and even the Grim Reaper are being used to drive this message home.

Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating is urging families to discuss the dangers of drunken driving. With help from Canton High School's drama program, Keating's office produced a nine-minute educational video to be used as a conversation-starter for parents and their teens. The DVD was recently mailed to schools, libraries, and households across Norfolk County.

The DVD encourages parents and teens to draw up a contract: Teens promise to call home if they find themselves in a dangerous situation, and parents promise to pick them up, no questions asked.

''Signing that piece of paper could save your child's life -- using this DVD to open the conversation could keep them from taking their last car ride on prom night or graduation night," Keating said.

Cohasset, Norwood, Quincy, Sharon, and Walpole are among the communities hosting alcohol-free postprom parties this year. These events are volunteer efforts, organized by local PTOs, police departments, and community groups, and local businesses typically donate food and prizes to lure students.

North Quincy High School held its annual ''Senior Stay-Out" at the high school immediately after the May 12 senior prom. That was the postprom destination for most students that evening, said senior Will Mac, 17, who was hoping to win one of the prizes offered, like an Xbox 360 or a laptop.

Karen Sweeney, one of the dozen parents who helped organize the May 12 postprom party in Walpole, said alcohol-free all-night parties are worth having, even if only a handful of students show up. ''Even if 20 kids walk in, then those 20 have a place to go, rather than driving around finding a place to go," she said.

A number of schools are using breathalyzer tests to crack down on drinking during proms. Some, such as Brockton, Norwell, Quincy, and Sharon, use the tests only in certain situations, usually if a teacher suspects someone has been drinking.

Westwood High School instituted a mandatory breathalyzer policy last year, and all students attending the prom last Friday were expected to take the test, said principal Emily Parks.

Avon introduced a similar policy this spring. All students who went to Avon Middle-High School's junior-senior prom on April 28 had to get their breath tested before entering the function hall. Each prom-goer had to say ''hello" three times into an AlcoBlow breath-testing wand, as if speaking into a microphone. They all cooperated, and everyone passed, said Avon's principal, Sharon Hansen.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving cosponsors a nationwide initiative called BuzzFree Prom (ww.buzzfree.org). But Barbara Harrington, MADD's executive director in Massachusetts, said her chapter does not focus on prom season specifically ''because it enhances the myth that this is a seasonal problem."

''Underage drinking happens all year round," she said.

MADD's educational videos are shown at school assemblies across the state, throughout the school year. MADD's latest production is called ''The Spot," a 38-minute show that covers issues such as drinking, drugs, and driving, and includes music by bubble-gum punk band Simple Plan and interviews with Dallas Cowboys cornerback Larry Brown and NASCAR driver Reed Sorenson.

MADD is also lobbying for legislation in Massachusetts that would allow police to write tickets to minors who are caught with alcohol, said Harrington.

The organization Students Against Destructive Decisions also has a prom and graduation season safety campaign. SADD says its chapters typically plan more activities in the springtime, before the senior class reaches its high school milestones. The SADD website suggests a number of activities to raise awareness in school, including marking students' lockers with cardboard tombstones or crosses; placing a wrecked car and crosses out on the front lawn of the high school; or even converting a school foyer into a ''morgue" with SADD students covered in sheets and donning toe tags.

Last Monday Weymouth High School saw several trademark SADD activities: a mock car crash and ''Grim Reaper Day." One senior dressed in a Grim Reaper costume visited classrooms every half-hour. The angel of death tapped one student on the shoulder, dropped a carnation on the student's desk, and left the classroom. The chosen student then put on white makeup and remained silent for the rest of the day, symbolizing the statistic that one person dies in a drunken-driving accident every 30 minutes.

This activity has been used by many SADD chapters since the 1980s. Norwood High School held a similar exercise in April, which was successful, according to the school's SADD adviser.

In Plymouth, a mock fatal crash was being planned for Plymouth North High School for Friday, in which drama students were to play roles: Two victims would be pulled from the car wreck, a drunk driver would be arrested, and a parent would become hysterical to find the dead at the scene. Not everyone agrees such macabre dramatizations are the best approach. At least one Boston-area mother is reported to have kept her ninth-grader home after she heard that the local SADD chapter was going to do the Grim Reaper scene at school that day.

At Hingham High, students have a grim reminder year-round. The school keeps a memorial bench in the front lobby dedicated to Ted K. Cochran, a 16-year-old who was killed in a car accident in September 2004. Cochran's photograph is affixed to the bench, and carved into the blond polished wood are the dates he was born -- 12/9/87 -- and died -- 9/5/04.

''It hit close to home, that something like that could happen," Alyssa Siriani, 17, a member of Hingham High's SADD chapter, said of the fatal crash.

This year, Hingham High's SADD chapter made a banner with the message ''Friends Helping Friends Be Safe" in pink, purple, and green letters on brown paper. They encouraged students to sign pledges, promising to help their classmates stay safe, and handed out blue awareness ribbons to wear around school.

A car wreck was going to be placed in front of the high school, said Emily Campbell, the school's SADD co-advisor.

She said the local SADD chapter's activism has been criticized by some students because ''it reminds them of the crash and of Ted."

''There are some of the small group of students that get a little sad and offended with pretty much any activity that we do . . . from putting up signs about statistics to having an assembly about drinking and driving," said Campbell. ''I think it is just a matter of it being too fresh for them, and it brings up memories."

But, considering the potential for tragedy in this time of celebrations, some say the cautionary measures are needed.

''This time of year is especially dangerous," said Officer Richard Huyler, Dedham's school resource officer, who has tried to reach out to more parents this year, including holding a forum for parents on May 4 at Dedham Middle School to discuss the dangers of alcohol and prescription drugs.

''Every spring we have a screaming outcry over teenage tragedies that befall us before the graduation and prom season or during," he said. ''The more parents and students we educate, the better chance we have to not have as many of those."

Prom precautions

What area high schools are doing to keep prom night safe:

Alcohol-free postprom parties Cohasset, Norwood, Quincy, Sharon, Walpole

Mandatory prom breathalyzer tests Avon, Westwood

Selective use of breathalyzers Brockton, Norwell, Quincy

Mock crashes, other SADD activities Avon, Braintree, Dedham, Hingham, Hull, Plymouth North, Norwood, Weymouth

MADD presentation: ''The Spot" Hingham, Old Rochester Regional, Rockland, Sacred Heart (Kingston), Silver Lake Regional, Weymouth