G.P. VANIER GRADE 12 STUDENTS PROMOTE DRUG-FREE LIFESTYLE

A select group of determined Grade 12 students from Georges P. Vanier
school are fighting back in the war against drug use. "We've initiated
a program to educate students about the dangers of drug use and
effective ways to avoid peer pressure situations," says Grade 12
student Samantha Eldridge. She's one of about 15 local students to
recently form an anti-drug use alliance aimed exclusively at bringing
an end to random incidents involving the illegal use of narcotics and
other drugs among students.

The students launched the valuable awareness campaign just over one
month ago as an effective way to combat in-house drug usage.

Nathan Cloutier, who's also actively involved in the SAAS (Students
Against Abusive Substances) program, says the senior group was formed
with one thing in mind. to send a strong message to the entire student
body that you don't have to use illegal drugs to fit in. "Most of us
will be graduating this year and want to leave a good imprint behind
for younger students to follow in our absence.

We just want them to know that it's okay to say no to drugs," he
explains.

The senior high school students are presently working on a series of
future classroom presentations which will be launched at various
stages throughout the course of the school year (beginning at the end
of November) to promote awareness about the risks of drug usage and
strategies to deal with peer pressure situations. Eldridge says that
while most students have been well educated on the dangers of illegal
substance use by their parents and teachers, the message often means
more when it comes from someone their age. Of significant importance
to the group is the need to target junior high students, many of whom
are vulnerable and often succumb to peer pressure tactics involving
exposure to drugs.

It's a concern which is becoming more and more of a prevalent problem.
"It's really disheartening to see this trend happening in our school,"
says Cloutier. "We just want the younger generation of students at our
school to know they're not alone and that they don't have to conform
to peer pressure situations and false beliefs that drug use is
acceptable." Equally alarming is the fact that a large percentage of
senior students have younger siblings in junior high introduced to
drugs.

Eldridge says the last thing anyone wants to see is their younger
brother or sister exposed to illegal drugs. "It's pretty scary when
you think about it," Eldridge says. She adds that the few 'so-called'
bad apples contributing to the drug problem at the school have been
confronted by responsible students on more than one occasion. "Most of
the time they just laugh it off and pretend like nothing ever
happened," says Eldridge. School Counselor D.J. Hicks says staff and
administration are thrilled to see this committed group of students
step forward by trying to set a good example for the rest of the
student body to follow.

She adds that drug use among students remains a serious concern at
G.P. Vanier, one which nobody is turning a blind eye to. "We're in
close contact with the RCMP and other anti-drug agencies such as AADAC
as part of an ongoing education process to reinforce the message to
students that drug use will not be tolerated at our school," she says,
adding that guest speakers are brought in on a frequent basis to speak
with students about the impacts of drug and alcohol use. The next
guest speaker is scheduled to speak with students Dec. 5. She adds
that students who are caught using or soliciting drugs face very
serious consequences, including suspensions. It's a heavy-handed,
tough love approach to help eliminate a problem which has become all
too familiar at the school over the years. "Certainly, our school
(like many others) has had a reputation for drug use in the past and
we're taking steps to change that by making a supreme effort to
curtail this issue once and for all," Hicks explains. "To make a
difference, we all have to work together."