TEACHERS GET LESSON IN DRUG AWARENESS

Drayton Valley Western Review - For once, teachers were given a field
trip and just like any other, education was the driving force behind it.

Drayton Valley RCMP invited various school staff and administrators to
have questions answered on Drayton's increasing drug problems and to
view the real thing.

The day began with a tour of the garage near the lockup where several
toolboxes and jewelry were being kept after police picked up a suspect
in a robbery. RCMP believe the items were to be sold for speed.

After the initial rules were laid out, the teachers were escorted into
the lockup area. Using three of their lockup cells, the RCMP laid out
several pipes, weapons, and actual drugs. Everything from
methamphetamine to magic mushrooms were displayed in a way that
teachers could pick them up and have a close look. The purpose of the
field trip was to educate the teachers on what to look out for in
their schools.

"I was surprised at the way things can be hidden and the more
information the staff can get, the better. It was a very positive
experience," said Evergreen school principal Greg Joslin.

Kevin Fisher of AADAC and Norma Block of Building Safer Communities
used one of the three cells to give school staff a more traditional
version of education.

Teachers didn't hesitate to learn all they could from the
presentation. Questions were asked right from the start on topics
ranging from how much the different drugs cost to why arrest warrants
are so hard to get.

"The intent was to make staff more aware of what's out there and to
help recognize the symptoms. This is a problem that everyone needs to
address," said H.W. Pickup junior high school principal Wayne Rosell.
"The more information, the better."

The question now is whether the staff will take the lessons learned
and apply them to their daily school lives.

"It's definitely made us more aware of what to look for," said Joslin.