DRUGS KILL, STUDENTS

I knew Erica Hicks, the Raleigh 16-year-old who died of a drug
overdose last fall (news story, Jan. 25). Erica and my daughter played
on the same soccer team for several years. I never saw Erica step on a
soccer field that she was not smiling. Her death is a tragedy for her
family and those who knew and loved her.

Unfortunately it appears that this tragedy could easily be repeated in
this community. I was appalled to read the comments of a fellow
student in your article: "We knew she was using. But we didn't know
she would die." If a senior in high school does not know that drugs
can and do kill then I would propose that within the next two weeks
Wake County public schools set aside a school day in which every
middle and high school in the county pauses for 10 minutes so that all
students can at least be exposed to the message that drugs kill, and
that Ecstasy is not a harmless party drug. Maybe this can be done on
Feb. 14 to demonstrate that this community cares about its students
and cares enough to tell them the truth about drugs.

Julie Phipps

Raleigh