Students at the Choi Kwang Do East Cobb martial arts school learn about discipline, self-defense and respect.

Now, they're getting a lesson about the consequences of drunk driving.

KAREN ROSEN / AJC (ENLARGE)

A car smashed through the front window of the Choi Kwang Do East Cobb school and the driver was charged with DUI. No one was hurt.

KAREN ROSEN / AJC (ENLARGE)

The driver of the car, Cherrie Hallen, 56, of Marietta, was charged with DUI on private property, said Cobb police spokeswoman Cassie Reece.

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The driver of a 2000 Toyota Avalon crashed through the front window of the school while six children were taking a class this week.

No one was injured.

However, the wreck occurred on the heels of a Powder Springs tragedy Sunday night. After a circuitous route down a suburban street, a truck plowed into a home, killing a Tapp Middle School student.

"This is an opportunity for us as instructors to talk to the kids and the parents about drunk driving," said school owner Sylvia Paffrath, who has about 200 students. "This is nothing to be taken lightly for anybody who sees the damage this woman has done to our school ... ."

The driver of the car, Cherrie Hallen, 56, of Marietta, was charged with DUI on private property, said Cobb police spokeswoman Cassie Reece.

According to the police report, Hallen was in the Kroger parking lot at Parkaire Landing Shopping Center when she put her car into drive instead of reverse at 6:21 p.m.

She went through some bushes, between two brick pillars and into the school. The car immediately veered left —possibly because of a flat tire — and was stopped by the wall with Kroger.

"We heard a screeching noise outside, but it was just a brief one," instructor David Coleman said. "Two or three seconds later, they were coming through the window and were inside the room."

He ushered the students, ages 6 to 11, out of the room.

"They were shook up about it," Coleman said.

On Friday, students gasped at the damage as they arrived to take skills tests for a higher-colored belt.

Paffrath said she did not want to cancel the tests.

Because of the damage, the kids made do with a smaller venue for the tests.

"One of the mottoes of Choi Kwang Do is 'pil sung,' to always do your best and never give up," she said.

Debris, including bricks, glass and branches, was still scattered across the floor Friday, and the window was boarded up as Paffrath waited for the insurance adjuster.

Paffrath said she is grateful for the support offered by students and their parents.

"This is what drunk driving can do," she said. "We were just extremely lucky."