East Troy School District to host drug prevention event
By Tracy Ouellette
SLN Staff
When it comes to preventing kids from using drugs, the first line of defense comes from home.
To help area parents navigate the challenges of educating children in how to make good choices, the East Troy Community School District is hosting “Playgrounds to Pills: Prevention Begins with Parents.”
The free public event, which is open to the surrounding communities, begins at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9, in the East Troy Middle School Multi-Purpose Room.
The program will stress strategies to prevent substance use and abuse among young people in the community and surrounding areas.
The School District along with the Village of East Troy Police Department have partnered to schedule the free Playgrounds To Pills public forum from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. A resource fair beginning at 6 p.m. will precede the program.
“This is a community-wide issue,” Director of Special Education and Pupil Services Kate Harder said. “It’s not just prevention efforts were talking about here, it’s teaching kids about how to make good choices. It extends beyond just drugs.”
According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the average age of first time marijuana use is 14. The average age of first-time alcohol use is 11 for boys and 13 for girls. By the time they graduate from high school 40 percent of all teens have used marijuana.
“As a community we need to support how to prevent drug use,” Harder said. “This program is really about helping parents teaching their kids to make good choices. To have those difficult conversations with their children and show them the way.”
Research shows parents have more influence over their children than friends, social media, TV, music and the overly glamorized world of entertainment. Parents have a major impact on their child’s decision not to use drugs. Since healthy habits are formed at a young age, it is never too early to lay the foundation for a drug-free lifestyle.
“Kids learn from their parents what acceptable behavior is and this is one of the resources that can help them better inform their children about what it acceptable,” Harder said. “This program is not just for adults, it’s designed for anyone over the age of 9. If you have a child 9 or older we want you to bring them with you.
“The earlier you start having conversations the easier it is.”
The night of the event, East Troy Police Chief Alan Boyes and officer Aaron Hackett will serve as emcees for the program.
“The School District is doing a great thing and we were very happy to be asked to be a part of it,” Boyes said.
East Troy Community School District Administrator Chris Hibner will provide the opening remarks.
Also speaking will be Melissa Jendusa, of Rosecrance, who will draw on her experience working with adolescents in treatment to address underlying issues that lead young people to use and abuse substances. Deanna Marincic, a licensed clinical psychotherapist who works extensively with teenage and adult clients with addictions, will talk about her personal experiences as well as her clinical experience to stress the power of prevention at an early age.
Dr. Brian Fidlin, licensed clinical psychologist for 25 years, will discuss childhood brain development and its impact on decision-making skills, emotions, and risk taking. He will stress teaching resiliency and refusal skills at an early age.
Katie Morrow, who began using substances during middle school unbeknownst to her parents, will share her personal journey through addiction, treatment and recovery.
Sponsors for the event include The East Troy Community School District, East Troy Police Department, Your Choice, Rosecrance and Rogers Memorial Hospital.
Rosecrance, which provides mental health and addiction services in Illinois and Southeast Wisconsin, and Your Choice, a nonprofit group dedicated to reaching the youth with knowledge and skills to make the best choice and remain substance free, have created the Stairway to Heroin educational series including Playgrounds to Pills, which works to bring about awareness, education and prevention of alcohol and drug use among the youth.
For more information about the series, visit www.stairwaytoheroin.org.
To register for the event in East Troy, visit playgroundstopillseasttroy.eventbrite.com.
Registration is not required, but appreciated for planning purposes. Free childcare is available for children 6 months of age and older. Reserve a childcare spot when registering.
“It’s a public event and anyone can sign up,” Harder said. “Our goal is to max out our capacity, we want community members from the surrounding areas to be a part of this as well.”
For more information about the event, call Sandi Lybert at (262) 367-9901 or Harder at (262) 642-6720, ext. 3223.
