TEEN DRINKING STUDENTS' TARGET

Interact Club members work against "dangerous, illegal activity"

Some high school students are drinking alcohol heavily, and a group of
peers say it's time to slow down before a blackout or car mishap
claims lives and shatters others.

Tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. students will perform "Something Happened Last
Year," a play that follows students in the aftermath of a drinking
and-drug related tragedy.

Admission is free and open to the public. It's presented by the high
school's Interact Club.

The club is working to raise awareness about teen drinking and drug
use.

The play was written by E. Driscoll Jorgensen, coordinator for
substance abuse prevention at the Danbury Hospital Center for Child
and Adolescent Treatment Services, and directed by Brett Galotta,
coordinator for the Melting Pot Players of the Danbury Youth Services.

In the play, a student who's been drinking and used marijuana, leaves
in a car with his best friend and girlfriend to get more marijuana.
The car crashes and the driver dies. The passengers and their circle
of friends are left to cope with the loss.

"We see our friends involved in dangerous, illegal activities and we
want to try to do something about that," said Lindsey Curtis, Interact
Club president.

"We are concerned that these problems are overlooked until it is too
late."

Erin Mathieson, club secretary, said she thought more students at the
school drink than not.

"It's definitely a big problem, drinking and driving," she said. "I
know there are parties every weekend and everyone drinks, and of
course not everyone has a designated driver."

"It's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt. There have been
a couple of accidents."

"A couple of people I heard about got alcohol poisoning," Mathieson
added.

Sue Bitterman, chairwoman of the Bethel Community Care Coalition, said
people shouldn't be lulled into a false sense of security simply
because there hasn't been a recent drinking or drug fatality.

These accidents are senseless, and our club hopes that by performing
this play we can send a message of awareness throughout our town. Not
everyone thinks that alcohol and drugs are cool. We think they are
dangerous," said Mathieson.

The play was performed twice Tuesday for eighth-graders and half the
high school. Tomorrow at 12:30 p.m., the other half of the high school
will see it.

New to the high school this year, the Interact Club is sponsored by
the Danbury/Bethel Rotary Club, Bethel Community Care Coalition and
the high school.