"Bottlecappers" Warn Against Drug Use

Students Visit, Talk to Younger Pupils

TEENS' MESSAGE: "YOU DON'T NEED DRUGS"

MIDDLETOWN -- Seventeen-year-old Laura Picardo is on a
mission.

Since the 11th-grader became a student at High School South, she has
made a formal pledge to say "no" to drugs, alcohol and tobacco.

She also has made it a priority to get elementary and middle school
students in Middletown schools to make the same decision.

"The underlying message is that you don't need drugs to be a good
person," Picardo said.

Picardo is one of about 160 Middletown high school students who is a
Bottlecapper -- a student representative who visits schools to lead
activities that warn against drug abuse and promote healthy choices.
They make annual visits to all grades at the middle schools and
third- and fourth-grade classes in the elementary schools.

The Bottlecapper program started in 1981 with a few handfuls of
Middletown high school students encouraging their peers to put the
caps on beer bottles and say no to drinking.

"In the long run, what we hope to do is change student norms," said
George Obermeier, a Bottlecapper trainer and student-assistance
counselor at High School North.

The group has grown. At their March orientation, Bottlecappers saw a
turnout of 120 mostly freshman students from high schools North and
South -- its largest orientation ever.

Programs such as Bottlecappers are part of a districtwide effort to
prevent drinking and drug and tobacco use, Obermeier said.

For a district that is considering random drug testing in its two
high schools, school officials will continue to focus on
drug-prevention initiatives such as Bottlecappers, acting
Superintendent Karen Bilbao said.

Those who join the group are making a serious commitment.

Participants must sign a contract to stay drug-, alcohol- and
tobacco-free as long as they are Bottlecappers. And, before setting
foot in an elementary school or middle school classroom,
Bottlecappers go through 20 hours of training to learn about
substance abuse, the effects of drugs on the body and ways to deliver
the lessons effectively to their younger peers.

Picardo said she thinks the program is more effective because that
message comes from teenagers, not adults.

"When you're a little kid and your parent tells you to do something,
you probably won't do it," Picardo said. "But these kids respect us
because they know we're kids just like they are."

Kerry Scanlon, 18, a senior at High School South, said that while the
random drug testing is aimed at stopping drug abuse, Bottlecappers is
more comprehensive. It also focuses on how to make smarter choices in
life.

"It's their decision what they want to do with their lives, but we're
there to help them make better decisions," Scanlon said.