Pubdate: Thu, 08 Dec 2005
Source: Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (TX)
Copyright: 2005 Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas
Contact:  http://www.star-telegram.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/162
Author: Katherine Cromer Brock, staff writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?135 (Drug Education)

DISTRICT FINDS A UNIQUE LOCATION TO PLACE ITS ANTI-DRUG MESSAGES

GRAPEVINE -- Schools are flush with anti-drug messages. But few have
matched the attention of those that have popped up in some
Grapevine-Colleyville district urinals.

Three hundred deodorized urinal screens were donated to the district
in February, when nine Colleyville Heritage High School athletes
admitted to having used steroids.

The black surfaces of the screens are blank, until they are hit by a
steady stream to reveal the message "Avoid steroids."

"It was a great hit," said Brian Fawcett, a distributor for Magic
Message in Grapevine. Fawcett's wife is a Grapevine-Colleyville
teacher, and he has three sons in the district.

The Magic Message screens, which normally sell for $5 each, were
placed in every urinal at the middle and high schools, Mustang-Panther
Stadium, the swim center and the baseball fields.

The screens last three to six months, depending on use. They are
replaced with standard screens as they lose their freshness, so only a
few remain.

"It was unbelievable, the talk about them," Fawcett
said.

Steve Trachier, the district's executive director of administration,
said he hopes that the message is what students will remember.

"It's kind of a unique marketing strategy," Trachier said. "The more
they see that message, the more it's going to stick."
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin