Pubdate: Tue, 17 May 2005
Source: Woburn Advocate (MA)
Copyright: 2005, Tri-Town Transcript
Contact:  http://www.townonline.com/woburn/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3390
Author: Jessica Ash
Note: Ash, a Senior at Woburn High won a McKeown Scholars Program 
Scholarship with this essay.
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)
Note: MAP Editor title

Jessica Ash

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ISSUE FACING MY COMMUNITY

In the small industrial city of Woburn, Massachusetts a serious problem 
lies deep underneath a web of unsuspecting parents, teenagers in denial, 
and administrators unwilling to take a risk. People have been injured by 
this problem. People have been severely hurt. People have died. The single 
most significant issue facing my community at present is that of teenagers 
driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol and it is past time for 
the entire town to not only realize it, but to take actions to stop it.

I was on a weeklong camping trip with five of my friends.

We were setting up our tent and making sure the extension cord was firmly 
in place in the outlet, being that twilight was soon approaching our campsite.

One of my girl friends was sitting on the cooler when her phone rang. None 
of us were prepared for what we were about to discover.

On July 11th, 2004, James Lawton was killed in a drunk driving accident 
outside of Byfield, Massachusetts. While we were enjoying ourselves 
laughing and listening to Bruce Springstein on the radio, Jamie was 
fighting for his life, trapped in a car at the bottom of a river.

He did not win that fight.

Sadly a mere seven months later on a frigid January night, another call was 
made, another battle has been lost by yet another Woburn High senior.

Cassandra Donovan was the victim.

The fatal crash took the life of this stunning girl a mere four days before 
her 18th birthday.

Two lives, two students, two lively, energetic, involved, intelligent 
people, are now two corpses resting in the cold, hard ground at Woodbrook 
Cemetery.

At the time of Jamie's death, students were on break for the summer, and 
while the event certainly left a lasting impression on those students 
heading to college in only two months, it did not affect those left behind 
in Woburn as profusely.

No action was taken to ensure the safety of the teenage population of 
Woburn that participates in underage drinking and driving.

The city leaders and school administrators, along with parents, were unable 
and sometimes unwilling to see and acknowledge the following issues: 
Teenagers are drinking, they are doing drugs, and yes, they are driving 
after such substance abuse. While it may seem outrageous to hear, due to a 
recent survey done at Woburn High, one in every four students have tried 
alcohol.

One in seven has driven home after having some amount of an alcoholic beverage.

These numbers may be shocking, however I believe that they are not truly 
accurate.

Teenagers believe they are invincible; the common thought is "it can't 
happen to me". Even if he/she is not driving, simply having had a few 
drinks may impair his/her judgement on whether or not to get into a car 
with a person who may or may not have been drinking.

Therefore, I have a proposal.

In the past, SADD has been the only refuge for students who want to make a 
difference regarding drunk driving.

However, SADD has lost its intention.

Having few to no activities throughout the year, many students join this 
club simply to put it on a college application. Therefore, a new club must 
be created.

This club will be called "LEARN". The members will meet once a month in 
individual group committees overseen by a teacher or guidance counselor 
(who would act merely as a reference and not taker) in which they would 
focus on three main goals: (1) Remembering Jamie and Cassie, their lives, 
their legacies, their lesson. (2) How to make students able to understand 
and at properly in drunken or drugged situations by keeping ideas and 
discussions going as to the dangers of driving impaired. (3) Devising 
current and continually changing plans in order to keep the current 
students in Woburn High up to date and aware of all the issues and 
possibilities they have in a given situation regarding alcohol or drugs 
when driving is involved.

In doing so, the students will have a way to express their views with no 
teacher interference or input.

All too often, teachers and parents preach abstinence from such substances. 
This is not at all the way to go about stopping such tragedies as Jamie's. 
We must accept the fact that drinking has been going on in high schools 
across America since alcohol was brought to the United States and will 
continue on from generation to generation. The one main goal of this club 
would be to stopdriving while impaired.

In addition, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) has also been a crucial 
role in the education of younger students up through grade six or seven. 
However, merely educating the children while preaching abstinence has 
proven to be ineffective. It is time to reevaluate the program.

I therefore propose a committee of current and past DARE role models to 
create a platform of which they deem is reasonable for such a person in a 
highly respected position to uphold. Role models need to become more 
involved in middle schools and high schools equally.

Merely visiting the elementary schools is not enough.

The problems for these children begins in the middles schools and early 
high school years thus we must attack this problem where it is most 
prominent and demolish is before these students enter the high school level.

While the students themselves must take the first actions, a simple 
school-wide movement will not be enough.

This is why we must involve the entire community. Police need to be more 
forceful and begin handing out punishments when parties are broken up and 
alcohol is present.

At this moment, if an officer breaks up a party the alcohol is dumped down 
the drain and the students are told to go home. However, these students 
have obviously been drinking.

There is no sense in this command.

The students will get into their cars and drive if for no other reason than 
to not be caught drinking.

This is how tragic accidents happen.

Yet, if the officer was to call parents or drive those students home, the 
'shock factor' would take hold and those students would certainly not put 
themselves in a situation where they would need to drive home after 
drinking from a party again.

Police have a lot of power over students.

While I do not believe they should be arresting every adolescent in 
possession of alcohol, I do believe they need to end the leniency that has 
been prevalent over the past five (or so) years.

Also, the community must be involved.

This means local leaders, politicians, neighbors, and most importantly, 
parents.

I know, I know,your child never drinks, right?Your child is never at a 
party where drinking occurs, right?Your child may drink yes, but would 
never get into the car with a drunk driver, right? Wrong. Parents need to 
open their eyes and take a good look around. These teenagers, their 
children, are dying.

Mr. & Mrs. Lawton have, since the accident, been very vocal about the 
importance of a designated driver, or simply sleeping over someone's house.

They have been adamant about parents being more open with their children, 
yet since Jamie's death, nothing had changed. Parents must show interest in 
this cause.

I propose a meeting with all the parents in Woburn where Mr. & Mrs. Lawton 
and/or Mr. & Mrs. Donovan come and speak.

I believe that listening to these distraught parents would help to make 
other parents realize that each and every child's life is sacred and that 
drunk drivers are threatening that sacredness everyday.

It is crucial for parents to admit there is a problem and to talk to their 
children.

Let them know that they are not only loved, but that they will be respected 
for being honest, not punished. Children need to come home safe at night.

They need to wake up safe the next morning. The children of today are the 
future of tomorrow.

Fortunately, with the most recent death of Cassie Donovan, the school has 
attempted to put some of the mentioned plans into action, due to a student 
movement, and the other students noticing an extreme change.

Bracelets are on the way which read "LEARN JL 7/11/04 CD 1/22/05" and which 
will be distributed to every student, faculty member, and student council 
member in Woburn. But this is not enough.

The students cannot do this by themselves. Parents, police officers, 
administrators, and members of the community must band together to solve 
this problem.

Jamie is dead. He should be in college right now making plans for Spring 
Break next week with his friends.

He should be worrying about exams and unreasonable professors. He is not, 
he will never get that chance; it was stripped from him. Cassie is dead. 
She should be picking out a prom dress for the upcoming senior prom, she 
should be worrying about colleges and acceptance letters, she should be 
swamped with last minute projects, she should be graduating with me in 
June. She is not. She will never get the chance to live her dreams.

That chance was mercilessly taken away from her that cold, frigid night not 
even two months ago. I only ask that the chance not be taken away from 
another Woburn child, perhaps your child.

I now ask you to allow for Woburn to be an exemplary community that accepts 
this controversial issue and takes the necessary precautions to ensure the 
safety of its teenagers, of its community.

Remove the drunk drivers from the road. Instill these plans and any other 
new plans which will help to resolve this issue.Now is the time to take a 
stand for your life, for the lives of your children, and for the lives of 
your friends and family members. "In memory of Jamie and Cassie, take care 
of yourselves and take care of each other." - Principal Robert Norton, 
Woburn High, said every day.
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MAP posted-by: Beth