ARTWORK TO BACK SWAT DRUG-FREE MESSAGE

The choice to be drug-free can alter your destiny - this message
composed by Strathmore High School student, Soo Hyun Back, is one she
wishes will influence her peers.

"I hope people see my poster and choose the right thing," said Hyun
Back, the native South Korean who has been in Strathmore for about a
year and a half now.

The vibrant poster and smartly written message was announced the
winner of the Strathmore Wheatland Addictions Team (SWAT) poster
contest on March 19 at the FCSS building.

Hyun Back said the image in her artwork of a young man with a needle
and beer is the reflection in his dreams of him afraid and in pain.
She said it is what drugs and alcohol would do to him and although
he's having fun at the time he wouldn't continue to.

There were also three runner-up poster designs created by Lynn Jang,
Steven Krentz and Kerry Kwon.

Hyun Back's poster, along with the four runners up and a collage of
the 10 honourable mentions, will be put up everywhere SWAT can find space.

"The committee will be going door to door to businesses and we hope
to get every (one) to hang (a poster) in their front window," said
Sharon Blanchard, one of the SWAT committee members.

In addition to being posted in the businesses around Wheatland County
they will also be posted at schools and other public buildings.

"Anywhere people can see them," said Blanchard. "They'll be displayed
throughout the community."

All 112 posters entered in the contest were displayed at the presentation.

Blanchard said the committee was thrilled to have so many submissions
of youths speaking out against drug and alcohol use. Well over 50
people attended the event leaving members of SWAT overwhelmed by the
interest the community has shown.

Many entrants brought their parents to the presentation and Blanchard
said it is the parents they're hoping to involve more. They presented
the results of their recent drug survey to the group and encouraged
parents to join with them on the committee. One of the concerns
parents who took the survey expressed was they just don't have enough
education about drugs and alcohol to really teach their children.
Blanchard said SWAT needs parent input on how to best educate them.

This poster contest was the first of what Blanchard hopes will be
many ways SWAT can involve the youth in the community in their cause.
One of the initiatives coming up for SWAT will be the drug awareness
days they hold each year.

Every Grade 6 student in Strathmore will be heading to the Civic
Centre April 2-3 to learn as much as they can about alcohol, tobacco,
marijuana and various other drugs.

"It's a fun day while we're trying to teach," said Blanchard. "We're
trying to cover the three main drugs. Alcohol, tobacco and marijuana."

To cover those drugs, as well as some others, the students have seven
different stations to visit throughout the day. The stations are
interactive and students will also have a booklet to bring around with them.

Blanchard said the booklet is mostly something that can be taken home
with the students so parents can have some of the information as well.

This is the first year the event will be held at the Civic Centre
because of the large number of Grade 6 students and the amount of
space needed to do the different stations they'll be visiting, said Blachard.