RED RIBBON WEEK ENDS

The importance of saying "no" to drugs is stressed nationwide during Red
Ribbon Week,. However, the annual campaign is not enough. Over the last few
years, the Paris community has united to combat the local drug
problem-especially involving methamphetaimine.

Paris High School has tried to do its part in preventing student drug use
and administrators are pleased with the results they've seen recently.
"Does the high school do everything possible [to prevent drug use]? No
institution does," PHS principal Dave Meister said. "We try to do our
best." He said over the last year more students are becoming vocal about
their choice to stay sober.

Warren Sperry, who oversees drug prevention programs throughout District
95, compared the programs to elevator music.

"You never know it's there until it's not," he said.

Sperry stressed that students need to have a constant reminder of the
dangers of drugs. He added that it is better to do a little every day
rather than a lot once a year.

Sperry has also seen a positive change in student's attitudes.

"From where we came from a few years ago," Sperry said, "I'm seeing progress."

The progress might come from new initiatives taken by the school and the
surrounding community focusing on teenagers.

Several programs exist in the grade school and junior high levels that
focus on drug prevention; however, fewer resources are available for high
schoolers. Many Paris High School students participate in the "I Sing the
Body Electric," in which students express their views against drugs through
the arts.

A teen CAMA group-an extension of the Coalition Against Methamphetamine
Abuse-is new program Paris and other high school students can join. A PHS
senior helped get the organization started.

The new group is planning activities for high schoolers to participate to
offer an alternative to drinking and drug use. One activity is Saturday's
Street Dance with a canoe trip planned for next year.

The PHS Health Class is the primary place students are educated about the
dangers of drugs and alcohol.

Health teacher Mary McFatridge said in recent years she changed her
approach to teaching the class as the needs of students changed. "I'm
working more on decision making than I ever had before," she said.

She explains to students that as their level of intoxication goes up, their
decision-making goes down.

"I think that the kids really do listen," she added, "but they either don't
think it will happen to them or they get caught up in everything,"

McFatridge blamed the media for misleading today's youth. Programming such
as MTV shows people partying and drinking without showing any of the
consequences for such actions, according to the health teacher and mother
of two teenagers.

"I think that is a real problem," she said, "I fight that at home."

Another way Paris High School has tried to prevent student drug use has
been to randomly drug test students who participate in extra curricular
activities. Meister said the school-based drug testing is not meant as a
punishment for students.

In the school policy, if a student tests positive for drugs one time, their
parents are notified and the school recommends the student seek counseling.
After an appropriate amount of time for the substance to leave the body,
the student is retested.

If the student tests positive a second time, he or she is suspended from
all extracurricular activities for one year.

According to Meister, the responsibility lies with the parent and family of
the student to seek counseling. Due to high costs of in-school treatment
plans, PHS does not offer any official help for the student. However,
Meister said he will do whatever he can to help a student who has a problem.

"I think for some kids [drug testing] prohibits use, and for some kids it
doesn't," Meister said. "Unfortunately, some kids have to go through the
mistakes themselves."

Despite recent improvements, Meister and other school officials are
realistic about the issue.

"We're not putting our guard down," said Meister.