Pubdate: Wed, 31 May 2006 Source: Prince George Free Press (CN BC) Copyright: 2006 BC Newspaper Group Contact: http://www.pgfreepress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2135 Author: Mark Hasiuk Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) SCHOOL SENDING OUT ANTI-DRUG MESSAGE A local high school is taking a first-strike approach to drug abuse. "We want to teach students about the effects of drugs and create that awareness," said Shari Wallace, the Aboriginal Education Worker at Kelly Road Secondary School. "We're an educational facility. This is what we should be doing." Last January--after unpaid teacher salaries from the last teachers strike were given to school districts for alternate programs -- Wallace and other Kelly Road youth workers started the KRSS Youth Drug and Alcohol Prevention Committee, to educate students and stop drug abuse before it begins. Wallace said the Committee coexists with the school district's policies of prohibition and intervention. "If a student is caught doing drugs, we obviously follow procedure and contact the police," said Wallace. "We want to prevent that from happening in the first place." Wallace said marijuana and alcohol are still the drugs of choice in local high schools, but harder drugs like ecstasy and crystal meth are becoming more popular. She added that Kelly Road's current prevention-first approach is modelled after the Drug Free Schools Program now operating in the Lower Mainland. "It's been very successful in Vancouver, where they have students interacting with professionals in drug prevention, to come up with policies." In an effort to encourage more local student participation, the Committee is holding a Community Cafe tonight at the KRSS library at 7 p.m., where students, parents and staff of School District 57 will take part in an open forum. "We want to get input from the community about our programs and policies," Wallace said. - --- MAP posted-by: Steve Heath