STUDENTS GETTING NO-DRUG MESSAGE

Survey Finds Decline Over 7 Years

Sixth-grade student Da'Quan Palmer knows the dangers of tobacco,
alcohol and drugs.

"When I was in fifth grade, teachers showed us some bad lungs," the
11-year-old Two Rivers Middle School student said with a disgusted
look.

"We learned a lot in fifth grade because they showed us a lot of nasty
stuff," added his classmate, 12-year-old Karrie South.

And apparently, they aren't the only two students in Covington
Independent Schools who have been paying attention.

From 1999 to 2006, the number of high school seniors in the district
who reported using cigarettes, alcohol or marijuana dropped
significantly, according to Covington Partners in Prevention, which
each October surveys about 900 of the district's 4,000 students in
sixth, eighth, 10th and 12th grades.

The organization, a nonprofit coalition of educators, agencies,
community members and faith group leaders, released the 2006 survey
results Tuesday at a luncheon honoring those responsible for the
improvements. Nearly 200 people, from business leaders to students,
attended.

According to the coalition, 85 percent of Covington students are at
risk, 22 percent receive special education services and 12 percent
live in public housing.

"Our ultimate goal is to help kids in Covington do better," said Vicki
Dansberry, the district's prevention coordinator. "The numbers are
exactly what we wanted and planned for and expected from the hard work
from everyone."

The coalition also used the luncheon to introduce its 3-M program,
which seeks materials, mentors and money from the community. While all
three are equally important, the coalition made special note of the
district's mentoring programs.

"We know the mentoring does work," said Janice Wilkerson, founder and
director of the coalition.

"That's a key in preventing high-risk behavior."

The district has several mentoring programs in all the schools that
range from having lunch with students to taking them to cultural events.

"We just need to keep doing what we're doing and keep bolstering our
programs," said Wilkerson.

And the district hopes those resources will continue to affect
students the way they've affected Da'Quan and Karrie.

"To me, drugs are a waste of time, because all you're doing is killing
yourself," said Karrie.

"I've seen people do that stuff," said Da'Quan, "and it just doesn't
look very good."