Pubdate: Sun, 08 Jun 2003 Source: Finger Lakes Times (NY) Copyright: Finger Lakes Times 2003 Contact: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?brd=1206 Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2074 Author: Brian P. Heffron STUDENTS DISCUSS HEALTHY LIFESTYLES PHELPS -- Midlakes students hosted a healthy lifestyles conference last weekend, drawing nearly 200 middle school and high school students from as far away as Buffalo. The district's Youth-To-Youth Club and the Ontario County Reality Check chapter co-sponsored the overnight conference, in which students discussed the dangers of drugs, alcohol, AIDS and other health issues. "We hope they came away with a positive message," said Kristin Wrobbel, a school social counselor at the Midlakes middle and high schools. The conference was organized and attended by 68 local students after being rescheduled from April 5 to 6, the weekend of the ice storm. Events included a movie, a dance, workshops and two speakers: girls and boys slept Saturday night in separate areas of the gymnasium. Former comedian Sky Sands, of Rochester, spoke about overcoming obstacles and adopting a positive outlook. Christopher Lloyd, a former television producer who said he grew disenchanted with the media, told students how to read and interpret media messages. Lloyd, who spoke at Midlakes and several other local districts last year, again showed business and public information commercials, including one about a 32-year-old Massachusetts man who suddenly dropped dead at his desk from congestive heart failure. Although he was fit and had no history of heart problems, smoking had made his blood vessels so sticky that fatty deposits built up on them until the vessels were completely blocked. In the commercial, a person in surgical garb squeezed the man's aorta -- and about two tablespoons of fatty deposits oozed out. "Youth-to-Youth isn't only about drugs. It's about positive life-styles," said club president Ben Weidman, a 16-year-old junior from Clifton Springs. Weidman said the conference was important for reassuring students that there are alternatives to drugs and alcohol, and that many teens are choosing those alternatives. Weidman is also one of two youth board members from Ontario County Reality Check, a national anti-tobacco organization spawned by the national tobacco settlement. The group, organized regionally, falls under the supervision of Prevention Partners in Monroe County. Ontario County students meet in Canandaigua. "Any program that we do that focuses kids on being drug-free and substance-free is of great value to kids, and this is an organization that is focused on bringing positive students together with positive values and it's a benefit to our school," said Superintendent Mike Ford. - --- MAP posted-by: Alex