For all young people, the pitfalls of drug use are many, and almost always result in serious consequences.
Needless to say, then, being drug-free bestows numerous advantages. And in Pickerington, those rewards entail more than just the absence of trouble.
Both Pickerington high schools are now members of Drug Free Clubs of America. Pickerington High School North joined midway through the 2014-15 school year, and Pickerington High School Central signed on at the beginning of this school year.
More than 500 Pickerington students are participating: about 320 at North and 202 at Central.
Photo courtesy of Pickerington High School North
The Pickerington Local School District was introduced to the program by Tyler’s Light, a Pickerington-based nonprofit dedicated to educate on and prevent drug addiction. It’s named for Tyler Campbell, a North graduate who died of a heroin overdose in 2011 after initially getting hooked on prescription painkillers.
Drug Free Clubs of America is a national organization into which schools opt on an individual level. At North and Central, joining Drug Free Club is no different from joining any other extracurricular club – Spanish Club, Drama Club, etc. – and it’s student-led and student-driven.
“(Drug abuse) is in every suburban community in central Ohio and the state of Ohio,” says Wayne Campbell, president of Tyler’s Light and father of its namesake. “It won’t go away by itself.”
Student leaders with Tyler’s Light brought the suggestion to join directly to school officials, says Alicia Newbury, a health teacher and North’s club adviser.
“The minute that they started talking, in my head, I thought, ‘I’m on board,’” Newbury says.
To join, students fill out an application and pay a small fee. A few weeks after sign-up finishes, the schools bring in representatives from Diley Ridge Medical Center, who volunteer their time to drug-test members.
Testing takes place over the course of a day and a half, with students being pulled out of class a few at a time. In addition to taking urine tests, they fill out anonymous surveys and, after they’re done, head back to class with bags of goodies.
Testing takes place at a hospital in Kentucky, and results are sent to Drug Free Clubs’ national headquarters in Washington, D.C. After the initial round of testing, the national organization draws names every month or two for random testing.
Those students who pass are issued reward cards, each with a photo and the club logo.
“They get to use that for the rest of the year, October through October,” says Newbury.
Some 25 Pickerington businesses participate in the rewards program, and the vast majority of those asked – Campbell estimates 95 percent – have agreed to be part of it. Reward card incentives include discounts, freebies, gift cards and parties at such businesses as Buffalo Wild Wings, Raising Cane’s, Dairy Queen, Skyline Chili, Cold Stone Creamery, W.G. Grinders, Roosters Wings, Donatos Pizza and Rule 3.
“We are hoping that it is going to be hard for local businesses to say no to students who are supporting and participating voluntarily in this program,” says health teacher Melissa Dyer, Central’s club adviser.
The schools themselves mete out rewards, too, often suggested by students. One of the most popular for both is a set of parking spaces near the entrance to the school, raffled off monthly to club members.
“Kids love that,” Campbell says. “They can show up right before the bell rings.”
Other district-level prizes include prom tickets, school play tickets, occasional line-jumping privileges and a free cookie in the cafeteria one day a month.
If a member fails a drug test, the national organization contacts his or her parents, initially to check whether the student might be taking a detected substance for a legitimate reason – think medicinal marijuana in states where it’s legal. If no such reason is forthcoming, the parent will be sent some talking points to address the issue, along with contact information for the Kentucky hospital’s director of rehabilitation and counseling.
The goal is to not only keep students off drugs, but to unite them in opposition – from the heavily involved honor student with a 4.0 GPA to the student with average grades and no club memberships.
“This gives them an opportunity to be part of something that’s good and healthy, and have the recognition and social status of being in this big club,” Campbell says.
Though a handful of other Ohio school districts have implemented Drug Free Clubs, Pickerington is the first district to implement it in central Ohio. It won’t be the last, Campbell says, as he has seen interest from other local districts, particularly in Licking County.
“Having fewer students who use substances not only benefits the students themselves, but creates a positive and safe school and learning environment,” says Dyer.
Being part of an anti-drug group helps cut into the power of peer pressure by giving students another group of peers. The random testing aspect and reward system also give students a convenient out should they find themselves being pushed to use drugs.
“Surveys throughout the country … say that 70 percent of students try drugs and alcohol for the first time under mild peer pressure from friends,” Campbell says.
Students have been struck by how many of their peers are participating. The clubs do not have regular meetings, and testing sessions only pull in 10 to 15 students at a time, so it wasn’t until North’s and Central’s entire clubs were called together for their yearbook photos that many participants realized their sheer numbers – and how many other people they knew were part of it.
“As an adviser, it was cool to sit there and listen to them, and hear the comments like, ‘Wow, look how many people signed up to be part of this,’” Newbury says.
For more information on Tyler’s Light, visit the website.
Garth Bishop is managing editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
RELATED READS
