STUDENTS URGED TO PREPARE FOR PROM PARTY

Drugs, Alcohol Can Mar The Event Of A Lifetime

High school proms are more than just dressing up, dancing and sharing
a good time with friends.

The most exciting part of the night is the party after the prom, many
students say.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime event," said Catherine Lam, 17, a student
at St. Joseph Morrow Park high school. But Lam also voiced some concerns.

"The after-party can be crazy. I worry about my friends who will maybe
for the first time have exposure to a lot of drinking and drugs."

Alcohol, drugs and sex are often commonplace at the post-prom party,
Denise De Pape, of Toronto Public Health, said at a workshop for teens.

"We're not saying don't drink, don't do drugs. The students will make
their own decisions about that," De Pape said yesterday at the
day-long workshop called Party in the Right Spirit.

"We're asking them to be aware of the risks, think ahead, make a
plan."

The students said they liked the approach.

"They're not telling us don't drink (alcohol). That won't work anyway.
They're telling us to be responsible about it," said St. Michael's
Choir School student Andrew Hamer, 16.

"Preaching at us just doesn't work," said Alex Guimaraes, 18, also a
student at the school. "They're taking a really realistic approach."

In small groups, students discussed liability and pre-party strategies
to prevent problems at social gatherings.

Many students agreed it is easy to follow a simple plan, like
arranging transportation prior to leaving.

"You know if you are going to drink or not before you go out," said
Hamer. "A lot of these ideas are brutally obvious. But it's good to
talk about them and encourage others to use them."

Having a designated driver or having a party host take all car keys as
people arrive and giving back keys only to those who are sober are
good ideas, said Guimaraes.

Students from about 20 schools in the Toronto Catholic District School
Board attended the annual event yesterday organized by Toronto Public
Health. Today about 120 students from the Toronto District School
Board are expected to attend the same workshop. It's the fourth year
for the event.

They could also test a breathalyzer machine and try walking a straight
line while wearing goggles that simulate intoxication.

When Lam attends her prom this year, she said she probably won't get
into all the details with her parents.

"They were my age once, too," she said.