OFFICIALS TAKE AIM AT DRUGS

Swansboro Middle School officials are shocked by an apparent on-campus drug
deal that sent two pupils to a hospital for treatment last week - but they
vowed to tackle the problem head-on.

Although its use occurred off-campus, the Ecstasy - also known as XTC, X or
E - was apparently traded on the sixth-eighth grade campus early last week,
said Jeannie Baker, assistant principal.

The notion that "this occurred under our watch" has shocked and saddened
the school's faculty and staff, said Lori Howard, principal.

"Each and every one of us take this personally," she said.

An article on Ecstasy in the most recent issue of Teen Newsweek states that
the drug, traded as a pill often bearing pop culture logos, creates a
feeling of peace and tranquility among its users.

Ecstasy is central to "rave culture," the article states. Raves are often
billed as alcohol-free parties featuring music and dancing for teens.

While many consider the drug harmless, the article points out that it has
been linked to death and addiction which results in permanent mental
disabilities.

Ecstasy is made up of methylenedioxymethampetamine (MDMA) but can be laced
with other drugs such as PCP, ketamine or DXM, according to information
from the Partnership for a Drug Free America. It can raise the body's
temperature to dangerous levels and creates a sense of extreme thirst.

It's presence on the middle school campus is shocking and disturbing,
Howard said.

"It is devastating," she explained. "I don't want to say that I am naive,
but we work hard to send out an anti-drug message."

Baker said that the 830-pupil school has had minor incidents involving
drugs this year, mostly over-the-counter substances. Never had the drug
Ecstasy turned up.

"This is the first confirmed case that we have had of this nature," Howard
said. "Which is why it is so devastating."

"It is surprising that children this young are involved," Baker added. "You
want to believe that they are not exposed to it ... but it is a fact."

The incident apparently unfolded on March 6. While school officials
declined to be specific, citing student privacy, they did say two seventh
grade girls became ill at home and had to rushed to the hospital for
treatment after apparently taking the pills off-campus.

Howard praised the parents of the pupils for taking quick and decisive
action. "We are just thankful that these children can still be with us."
Though the girls are fine, "The sheer fact that the students put their
lives in danger is terrifying," Baker said.

By Thursday morning, word of the incident was circulating among the student
population. It created a sense of unrest, Howard said.

"Children want this to be a safe place," Howard said. "It is upsetting to
them. Students don't like it when that kind of stuff happens at school
because they know it's not acceptable."

By the end of the school day on Thursday, Howard had brought together all
the faculty and staff to make sure that they understood the situation.

"We are all here for the children," she said. "One of the key things is
that people need to be made aware.

"Adults (at the middle school) do a great job of monitoring these
children," she explained. "Now, we just have to have a heightened sense of
awareness."

Howard, in her first year at the helm of the school, said that she has
learned students at SMS are comfortable talking with teachers and staff.
"They think about this as saving a life," Howard said of pupils who talk
with staff about a friend or classmate who might be in a bad way.

In addition, "We have a lot of built-in safeguards," she added. Teachers
are trained to look for signs of a problem.

Ecstasy is a new thing, though.

Baker said that she had read of Ecstasy and its rise in use nationwide, but
she never considered it a local problem.

"Now, here it is in Swansboro," she said. "This is just another thing we
have to learn about, and that's what we're going to do, because we don't
have a choice. There are little lives at stake."

Both women say the job of school administrator is one that involves being
on the front line of community issues.

Dealing with the drug Ecstasy will require gaining an understanding of a
new culture.

"I am going to line up someone to come in and do an in-service training on
Ecstasy and other types of recreational drugs," Howard said.

"There is new information that we have to learn," Baker added.

Howard said that as much as the school officials want to solve the problem,
it will take the same kind of commitment from the community as a whole for
the effort to be successful.

"My advice to parents is to be as educated as possible," Howard offered.
"There is no child who is immune to this.

"They are children and children do things that we don't expect them to.
Parents cannot talk to their children enough about drugs."

To that, Baker added: "Pay attention."

Students at the school deserve to be watched over and guided properly,
Howard pointed out.

"If we can make them feel safe here, then they'll be happy," she said.

In an effort to involve the community, she is hoping to organize a
community forum on the problem of recreational drug use. "As a community,
we need to be aware," Howard explained. "The problem belongs to all of us.

"I believe that good can come out of this by educating children and adults
to the danger. To do anything else would be irresponsible."

March 13, 2002

Tideland News Report

An apparent on-campus transfer of the drug Ecstasy has triggered a criminal
investigation.

The incident occurred at Swansboro Middle School last week.

While school officials sort through the matter in an attempt to mete out
the appropriate punishment of the students involved, Onslow County
Sheriff's Department is handling the criminal investigation.

Department officials were unavailable for comment, however, persons
familiar with the case say that those involved will face either criminal
charges or, if they are under 16, a juvenile petition.